Salford City Academy, Manchester

Ofsted's report card from its 21 April 2026 inspection grades Salford City Academy on 6 areas: 1 strong standard and 5 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Leaders have constructed an ambitious personal development programme."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Overall, pupils achieve well."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders have prioritised improving attendance."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have an accurate and informed understanding of the quality of the curriculum."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders identify the needs of pupils quickly and accurately."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Those responsible for governance have a precise understanding of the school's strengths and the areas where development is still required."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that the strategies they are using to improve attendance rapidly lead to high attendance for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities"; "Leaders should ensure that the strategies they use to develop and improve pupils' handwriting skills are effective in helping all pupils become confident and legible writers, and in helping weaker writers to catch up with their peers"; "Leaders should ensure that highly effective teaching is consistently embedded across all subjects and year groups"; "Leaders should ensure a more coherent approach to recording and monitoring pupils' attendance at alternative provision so that they can be confident that these pupils are benefiting fully from their education".

In 2026, pupils at Salford City Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 44.6, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.9 in Salford and 47 across England.

49% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 45% in Salford and 47% in England.

That is down from 46.1 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.13: pupils made above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 38.4, against 50.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 12 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Spanish and Geography.

For September 2026 entry, 173 families put Salford City Academy as their first choice and 274 named it as one of their preferences, for 175 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 19 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Salford City Academy are St Patrick's RC High School (0.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 53.3); Flixton Girls School (2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.9); Urmston Grammar Academy (2.1 miles, Good, selective, Attainment 8 75.6); and Ellesmere Park High School (2.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.9).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Salford City Academy.

Salford City Academy is one of 98 schools run by United Learning Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 49 in 2024/25.

59 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Salford City Academy (as of April 2026): 88% would recommend the school, 85% say their child is happy there and 40% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (88%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (40%).

Of the 167 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 70% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 58% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 5% into work.

46.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 166 pupils (18.9%) received SEN support and 25 (2.9%) 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.

Salford City Academy had 17 teachers in 2026, one for every 52 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical secondary school, at about one for every 17.

The nearest railway station is Patricroft Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.

9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Salford City Academy (outside), 60 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Salford City Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, Salford City Academy issued 262 suspensions, 29.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 10 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Salford City Academy are Barton Moss Community Primary School (under 0.1 miles); St Gilbert's Roman Catholic Primary School, Eccles (0.6 miles); Beech Street Community Primary School (0.7 miles); and Godfrey Ermen Memorial CofE Primary School (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.