Whalley Range 11-18 High School, Manchester

Ofsted's report card from its 8 September 2026 inspection grades Whalley Range 11-18 High School on 7 areas: 7 strong standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Strong standard. "Pupils progress through the curriculum consistently well."

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Leaders track patterns of attendance carefully."

Curriculum and teaching - Strong standard. "Leaders ensure that the curriculum is highly ambitious."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Staff receive highly effective professional learning to identify and support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face other challenges in their lives."

Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Leaders have a detailed and accurate view of the school's areas of strength and priorities for improvement."

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "The school's programme of personal, social, health and economic education is well designed and thoughtfully tailored to pupils' needs and ages."

Post-16 provision - Strong standard. "The post-16 curriculum is highly ambitious."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should continue to embed and sustain improvements to the curriculum and teaching so that pupils achieve highly across all key stages in all subject areas, including at grades 7 to 9"; "Leaders should further strengthen their oversight and procedures for monitoring pupils in alternative provision so that they can be assured that these pupils are benefiting fully from their education".

From the headteacher's welcome: "We work together with families, our local community, business partners and local universities to enhance our students’ education. Our core purpose is to support students of all abilities and backgrounds to develop high aspirations, believe in themselves and achieve their full potential. We expect all students to work hard and aim high in order to succeed academically and personally."

In 2026, pupils at Whalley Range 11-18 High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 52.1, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.3 in Manchester and 47 across England.

52% 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 52.1.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.79: 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.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 49.4, against 56 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 6.6 points.

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

For September 2026 entry, 187 families put Whalley Range 11-18 High School as their first choice and 547 named it as one of their preferences, for 252 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Whalley Range 11-18 High School are William Hulme's Grammar School (0.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.7); CHS South (0.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47.2); Chorlton High School (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 54.5); and Loreto High School Chorlton (0.9 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 42.3).

Whalley Range 11-18 High School's 2026 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.

Whalley Range 11-18 High School is one of 6 schools run by Greater Manchester Education Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 48.8 in 2024/25.

Of the 264 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 92% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 18% to a further education college and 1% into work.

Of the 151 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 58% went on to university or other higher education, 2% to apprenticeships and 11% into work. 7% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

54.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 80.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are Asian (59%), other ethnic groups (19%) and Black (11%).

In 2026, 251 pupils (14.7%) received SEN support and 40 (2.3%) 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 a moderate learning difficulty.

The nearest tram or metro stop is Withington (Manchester Metrolink), about 1110 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).

14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Springbridge Road (near), 90 metres away.

In 2024/25, Whalley Range 11-18 High School issued 205 suspensions, 12.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Whalley Range 11-18 High School are St Kentigern's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.4 miles); Wilbraham Primary School (0.5 miles); Old Moat Primary School (0.7 miles); and St Margaret's CofE Primary School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.