St Ambrose Barlow RC High School, Manchester
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data. Admissions policy: Non-selective
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Overall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
St Ambrose Barlow creates a warm, welcoming environment where pupils are genuinely happy and behave exceptionally well. The school has excellent pastoral support and knows individual pupils deeply, particularly those with additional needs. Teachers are committed to development and the school offers a rich range of extra-curricular activities alongside a broad curriculum that prepares pupils well for their future.
Key Strengths
- Pupils love the school, show respect for staff and each other, with rare bullying and exemplary conduct
- Teachers know individual pupils well and provide strong support for those with special educational needs and disabilities
- Sixth form offers a rich curriculum with high-quality work experience and partnerships with local businesses
- Strong culture of raising aspirations supported through careers advice and external partnerships
- Broad extra-curricular programme including debating, mathematics challenges, science projects and enterprise activities
Areas for Improvement
- Teaching does not consistently challenge all pupils, especially the most able, who make slower progress than they should
- Disadvantaged pupils make slower progress in key subjects, particularly mathematics, and pupil premium funding is not spent effectively enough
- Teachers do not routinely follow marking policies, leaving pupils unclear about how to improve their work
- Leaders' monitoring of achievement lacks rigour and they cannot confirm if disadvantaged pupils are making better progress
- Support for pupils with low starting points in literacy and numeracy is insufficient and catch-up funding is not tracked for impact
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with school leaders taking immediate action to tackle any weaknesses identified.
Extracurricular Activities
Debating society, mathematics challenges, science projects linked to international space station, sporting activities, cultural activities, enterprise curriculum
St Ambrose Barlow RC High School requires improvement overall. While the school has created a caring, supportive environment where pupils are happy and behaviour is exemplary, progress for disadvantaged pupils and the most able is not strong enough, and leaders' monitoring systems lack the rigour needed to drive improvement.
At a Glance
30.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
22.9
Avg class size
43
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
103%
Over capacity
1,078 pupils
1,050 capacity
28 places over capacity
Area Demand Pressure - Manchester
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Manchester
Admissions Demand - Salford
Places available
2,750
Applications
2,859
Got 1st preference
83.2%
Got preferred school
95.0%
Secondary admissions across Salford (2025/26)
Inspection History(111)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.70378%
Overall absence
20.42629%
Persistent absence
1,126
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
St Ambrose Barlow RC High School
Wardley CofE Primary School
St Charles' RC Primary School
Mossfield Primary School
St Peter's CofE Primary School
Clifton Primary School
Moorside Primary School
Spindle Point Primary School
The Deans Primary School
St Paul's CofE Primary School
St Mark's RC Primary School
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Nearby Schools
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