The Lowry Academy, Manchester
The Lowry Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Manchester, part of United Learning Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2024. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 51st-highest of the 62 schools in Manchester with published results, and 2,311th of 3,298 across England. It was 76% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Salford (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Lowry Academy in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at The Lowry Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 42.1, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.9 in Salford and 47 across England.
42% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 45% in Salford and 47% in England.
That is down from 44.7 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.37: pupils made 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 37.6, against 49 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 11.4 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Art and Design and History.
Getting a place at The Lowry Academy
For September 2026 entry, 127 families put The Lowry Academy as their first choice and 242 named it as one of their preferences, for 147 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to The Lowry Academy are Star Salford Academy (0.5 miles); Co-op Academy Walkden (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47.2); Kearsley Academy (1.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 51.1); and St James's Church of England High School (1.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.1).
Each of them had higher 2026 results than The Lowry Academy.
Star Salford AcademyCo-op Academy WalkdenKearsley AcademySt James's Church of England High School
The trust
The Lowry 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.
Where pupils go next
Of the 179 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 74% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 58% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.
Who goes there
58.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 31% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (57%), Black (17%) and other ethnic groups (9%).
In 2026, 104 pupils (11.8%) received SEN support and 24 (2.7%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Walkden Rail Station, about 960 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Worsley Avenue (opposite), 140 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Lowry Academy issued 180 suspensions, 19.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 8 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to The Lowry Academy are St Andrew's Methodist Primary School (0.3 miles), Hilton Lane Primary School (0.3 miles), St Edmund's RC Primary School (0.3 miles) and Bridgewater Primary School (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
St Andrew's Methodist Primary SchoolHilton Lane Primary SchoolSt Edmund's RC Primary SchoolBridgewater 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; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
At a Glance
58.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from -0.65 to -0.37 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 40.5 to 42.1 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 36% to 42% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 42.1 | 42.2% |
| Disadvantaged(128) | - | 37.6 | 32.8% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(83) | - | 49.0 | 56.6% |
| Boys(108) | - | 41.8 | 43.5% |
| Girls(103) | - | 42.4 | 40.8% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(61) | - | 44.6 | 42.6% |
| Non mobile(188) | - | 43.5 | 44.7% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 5 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 179 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
8
Permanent exclusions
0.87%
Exclusion rate
180
Suspensions
19.52%
Suspension rate
62 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 922 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with The Lowry Academy
Term dates
The Lowry Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Salford's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Lowry Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Lowry Academy is in Salford; for families living there:
- Salford's school travel policy: Salford home to school transport policy 2026 (Adobe PDF format, 156kb)
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 9 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
4 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 Salford is 19.5 (the median across 136 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 The Lowry Academy
Will you get a place at The Lowry Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Lowry Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Lowry Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Lowry Academy.
- Salford publishes last distance offered figures, but none for The Lowry Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Lowry Academy for 2022 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Salford 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
76%
Available places
906 pupils
1,200 places
294 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 Salford council
Places available
2,774
Applications
2,789
Got 1st preference
85.9%
Got preferred school
96.4%
All secondary applications across Salford council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
104
SEN Support
24
EHC Plans
14.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
884
Total Pupils
431
Boys
453
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
61
Teachers
14.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,871
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£9,721
Per pupil
£9662k
Total funding
£550k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
10.0%
Overall absence
27.1%
Persistent absence
1,007
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
The Lowry Academy
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about The Lowry Academy
What are GCSE results like at The Lowry Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at The Lowry Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 42.1. 42% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is The Lowry Academy's Ofsted rating?
The Lowry Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2024.
What is the catchment area for The Lowry Academy?
No fixed boundary. When The Lowry Academy is oversubscribed, Salford allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at The Lowry Academy?
The Lowry Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 76% of its 1200 places.
How big are the classes at The Lowry Academy?
Classes at The Lowry Academy average 22.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Lowry Academy?
The Lowry Academy has around 884 pupils on roll. 59% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Lowry Academy?
10% of sessions were missed at The Lowry Academy in 2024/25. 27.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Lowry Academy?
Apply through Salford's coordinated admissions process, naming The Lowry Academy 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 The Lowry Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 9 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 4 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 Salford is 19.5 (the median across 136 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Lowry Academy?
The Lowry Academy is at Hilton Lane, Little Hulton, Worsley, Manchester, M28 0SY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)