Sale Grammar School, Sale

In its own words: "Sale Grammar School is a happy and vibrant school offering an enriching education that encourages and challenges our students academically whilst also prioritising their personal development. We are committed to developing individuals who are curious lifelong learners with the knowledge and skills to be creative thinkers, who understand the importance of perseverance through the actions which they demonstrate."

From the headteacher's welcome: "At Sale Grammar School we pride ourselves on providing an excellent educational experience for all our young people so that they can leave our school equipped to lead both happy and successful lives. We have the highest aspirations for everyone and work together to achieve these, acting in a way that demonstrates our collective values at all times."

In 2026, pupils at Sale Grammar School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 75.5, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 58.2 in Trafford and 47 across England.

100% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 66% in Trafford and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 76.1.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.8: pupils made well above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Biology, Physics and Business Studies.

Sale Grammar School is a grammar school: places go to children who reach the required standard in its entrance test, and only then are the oversubscription criteria applied.

For September 2026 entry, 265 families put Sale Grammar School as their first choice and 1096 named it as one of their preferences, for 197 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 98 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

Sale Grammar School admits pupils through an entrance test, usually called the 11-plus. Children have to be registered for it in advance, normally in the spring or summer of Year 5; the test itself is usually sat in September of Year 6, and results come out in October, before the 31 October deadline for naming secondary schools.

Passing the test makes a child eligible rather than guaranteeing a place: when more children pass than there are places, Sale Grammar School ranks them by the criteria in its admissions policy, which can include test score and distance. Check Trafford's admissions pages and the school's own policy for this year's registration deadline - a child who is not registered in time cannot sit the test.

Trafford has 7 state grammar schools in all, so a child who passes may have several selective schools to choose between.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Sale Grammar School are Sale High School (0.5 miles); Ashton-on-Mersey School (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 52.6); Dixons Brooklands Academy (1.3 miles, Attainment 8 39.9); and Wellington School (1.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 55.7).

Sale Grammar School's 2026 results were higher than all 3 of them.

Of the 189 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 99% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 1% to a further education college.

Of the 185 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 69% went on to university or other higher education, 4% to apprenticeships and 10% into work. 60% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

3.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 12% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (49%), Asian (21%) and Mixed (10%).

In 2026, 82 pupils (6.1%) received SEN support and 8 (0.6%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.

The nearest tram or metro stop is Brooklands (Manchester Metrolink), about 710 metres away (roughly a 9-minute walk).

11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Sale Grammar School (outside), 60 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Sale Grammar School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, Sale Grammar School issued 14 suspensions, 1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Sale Grammar School are St Anne's CofE Primary School (0.3 miles); St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.3 miles); Springfield Primary School (0.5 miles); and Brooklands Primary School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.