St Matthew's RC High School, Manchester
St Matthew's RC High School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Manchester, part of Emmaus Catholic Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Inadequate at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2022. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 59th-highest of the 62 schools in Manchester with published results, and 2,927th of 3,298 across England. It was 89% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Inadequate (2022)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
- Progress (2024)
- Well below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Manchester (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Matthew's RC High School in detail
St Matthew's RC High School in its own words
In its own words: "At St Matthew’s we are on a journey to Catholic Excellence. Welcome to St Matthew’s RC High School. As the Headteacher of St Matthew’s Roman Catholic High School , it is my great privilege to be leading a school where the holistic development of our pupils is our core purpose."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at St Matthew's RC High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 37.6, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.3 in Manchester and 47 across England.
33% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 47% in Manchester and 47% in England.
That is in line with 2025, when the score was 37.8.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.59: pupils made well below 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 33.5, against 44.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 11.1 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 27 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Geography.
Getting a place at St Matthew's RC High School
For September 2026 entry, 170 families put St Matthew's RC High School as their first choice and 418 named it as one of their preferences, for 223 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at St Matthew's RC High School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to St Matthew's RC High School are Co-op Academy North Manchester (0.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 39.4); Co-op Academy Failsworth (1.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.7); Saint John Henry Newman Roman Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy (1.6 miles, Attainment 8 46.8); and Oasis Academy Oldham (2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.5).
Each of them had higher 2026 results than St Matthew's RC High School.
Co-op Academy North ManchesterCo-op Academy FailsworthSaint John Henry Newman Roman Catholic College, A Voluntary AcademyOasis Academy Oldham
The trust
St Matthew's RC High School is one of 38 schools run by Emmaus Catholic Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 39.9 in 2024/25.
What parents say
46 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Matthew's RC High School (as of September 2025): 87% would recommend the school, 94% say their child is happy there and 80% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (96%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (80%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 278 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 81% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 41% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.
Who goes there
59.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 35.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Black (35%), White British (34%) and Asian (7%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Moston Rail Station, about 620 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Matthew's High School (outside), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Matthew's RC High School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Matthew's RC High School issued 109 suspensions, 8.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to St Matthew's RC High School are St Mary's CofE Primary School Moston (0.2 miles); New Moston Primary School (0.5 miles); St Margaret Mary's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.6 miles); and Moston Fields Primary School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
St Mary's CofE Primary School MostonNew Moston Primary SchoolSt Margaret Mary's RC Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyMoston Fields Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
The school has been transformed since the last inspection. Pupils and staff said there has been a tangible change in culture across all areas of school life. Pupils feel safe and happy here. They are proud of their school.
The school has ambitious expectations for behaviour and achievement, and pupils endeavour to meet these expectations. Pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), follow a broad and ambitious curriculum. They benefit from the positive changes the school has made to the quality of education it provides. As a result of these improvements, pupils are achieving increasingly well across a range of subjects.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school, with the support of the trust, has considerably raised the level of ambition in, and the quality of, the curriculum. Alongside this, the school has strengthened staffing and provided appropriate training for teachers. This is contributing considerably to pupils achieving better than they did in the past. A growing number of pupils gain qualifications in the English Baccalaureate suite of subjects.
The school has set out the core knowledge pupils should learn and when this content should be taught. Teachers have secure subject knowledge, and they explain concepts well. Typically, teachers design activities that help pupils to learn successfully. However, in a small number of subjects, there is an inconsistency in how teachers deliver learning. In a few subjects, some of the activities chosen do not help pupils to learn new content well. This means that some pupils do not learn as deeply as they could.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Inadequate at its November 2022 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Inadequate), Behaviour & attitudes (Inadequate), Personal development (Inadequate), Leadership & management (Inadequate).
About
St Matthew's RC High School is a mixed Roman Catholic secondary school located in the Moston area of Manchester, England. The school is named after Saint Matthew, one of the Apostles and, according to Christian tradition, one of the four Evangelists.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
59.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
46 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from -0.83 to -0.59 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 37.1 to 37.6 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 25% to 33% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 37.6 | 33.1% |
| Disadvantaged(173) | - | 33.5 | 26.6% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(102) | - | 44.6 | 44.1% |
| Boys(131) | - | 36.4 | 27.5% |
| Girls(144) | - | 38.7 | 38.2% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(73) | - | 39.7 | 30.1% |
| Non mobile(258) | - | 37.5 | 32.6% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 7 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 278 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
2
Permanent exclusions
0.15%
Exclusion rate
109
Suspensions
8.23%
Suspension rate
69 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,324 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Latest from St Matthew's RC High School
Round Up - Week 31
22 May 2026
Round Up - Week 26
2 Apr 2026
Round Up - Week 24
20 Mar 2026
Round Up - Week 22
6 Mar 2026
Round Up - Week 20
13 Feb 2026
Round Up - Week 18
2 Feb 2026
From St Matthew's RC High School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with St Matthew's RC High School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Matthew's RC High School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Matthew's RC High School is in Manchester; for families living there:
Apply to Manchester for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 17
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 7
- Children hurt
- 8
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 10 slight.
8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
5 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Manchester is 22 (the median across 222 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at St Matthew's RC High School
Will you get a place at St Matthew's RC High School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Matthew's RC High School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Matthew's RC High School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Matthew's RC High School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Manchester, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Matthew's RC High School for 2022 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Manchester got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
89%
Available places
1,336 pupils
1,500 places
164 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Manchester
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Manchester
Across Manchester council
Places available
7,220
Applications
6,542
Got 1st preference
77.1%
Got preferred school
94.7%
All secondary applications across Manchester council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
189
SEN Support
56
EHC Plans
18.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,327
Total Pupils
692
Boys
635
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
95
Teachers
14.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,677
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£8,385
Per pupil
£12201k
Total funding
£822k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.0%
Overall absence
16.4%
Persistent absence
1,410
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
St Matthew's RC High School
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about St Matthew's RC High School
What are GCSE results like at St Matthew's RC High School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at St Matthew's RC High School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 37.6. 33% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is St Matthew's RC High School's Ofsted rating?
St Matthew's RC High School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2022, it was rated Inadequate.
What is the catchment area for St Matthew's RC High School?
No fixed boundary. When St Matthew's RC High School is oversubscribed, Manchester allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Matthew's RC High School?
St Matthew's RC High School was not full in 2025: it ran at 89% of its 1500 places.
How big are the classes at St Matthew's RC High School?
Classes at St Matthew's RC High School average 21 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Matthew's RC High School?
St Matthew's RC High School has around 1327 pupils on roll. 59% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Matthew's RC High School?
7% of sessions were missed at St Matthew's RC High School in 2024/25. 16.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Matthew's RC High School?
Apply through Manchester's coordinated admissions process, naming St Matthew's RC High School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near St Matthew's RC High School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 10 slight. 8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 5 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Manchester is 22 (the median across 222 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Matthew's RC High School?
St Matthew's RC High School is at Nuthurst Road, Moston, Manchester, M40 0EW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)