1
Co-op Academy Belle Vue
Manchester • M12 4BA
1
13 May 2024
Top 10 Secondary schools in Manchester
Updated for the latest inspections (median graded year: 2022)
This Top 10 showcases secondary schools in the town of Manchester. It’s built from the latest graded Ofsted inspections. We rank Outstanding (grade 1) above Good (grade 2), then prioritise newer inspections. As tie-breakers, we consider the “Quality of education” sub-judgement (where available), then %FSM and school size.
Total secondary schools
39
Outstanding
5
Good
28
Median inspection year
2022
Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)
O: 14% · G: 76% · RI: 11% · I: 0%
2
Didsbury High School
Manchester • M20 2ET
1
10 Mar 2024
3
Laurus Ryecroft
Manchester • M43 7LJ
1
12 Mar 2023
4
Burnage Academy for Boys
Manchester • M19 1ER
1
24 Oct 2018
5
Wright Robinson College
Manchester • M18 8RL
1
23 Mar 2016
6
St Anne's Church of England Academy
Manchester • M24 6XN
2
16 Sep 2024
7
The Heys School
Manchester • M25 1JZ
2
24 Jul 2024
8
Co-op Academy Failsworth
Manchester • M35 9HA
2
14 Jul 2024
9
Manchester Communication Academy
Manchester • M40 8NT
2
3 Jul 2024
10
St Ambrose Barlow RC High School
Manchester • M27 9QP
2
30 Apr 2024
How we rank these schools
- Headline Ofsted grade: Outstanding (1) outranks Good (2), then RI (3), then Inadequate (4).
- More recent graded inspection dates rank higher.
- Where available, we use the Quality of education sub-judgement as a tie-breaker.
- Lower free school meals (%) may break remaining ties.
- Larger roll (pupil count) is a final tie-breaker.
Only the ten highest-ranked schools are shown; we also list “near misses” just below.
About Ofsted grades
- Outstanding (1): Highest judgement across key areas.
- Good (2): Strong effectiveness; meets standards consistently.
- Requires improvement (3): Not yet good; clear areas to improve.
- Inadequate (4): Significant weaknesses found.
Ungraded Section 8 visits check whether the previous graded judgement still stands, but they don’t replace it.
Data freshness & coverage
We refresh inspections and school snapshots regularly. If a school was inspected very recently, its report may not yet appear here.
Top-10 pages only appear for areas with at least 10 secondary schools that have a graded Ofsted inspection.
Map of the Top 10
Also highly rated nearby
- Irlam and Cadishead Academy 2 • Apr 2024
- The Lowry Academy 2 • Mar 2024
- Trinity CofE High School 2 • Feb 2024
- Flixton Girls School 2 • Jan 2024
- Ellesmere Park High School 2 • Sep 2023
- Co-op Academy Walkden 2 • Jul 2023
- Fairfield High School for Girls 2 • Jan 2023
- Manchester Academy 2 • Nov 2022
- Urmston Grammar Academy 2 • Sep 2022
- Saint Paul's Catholic High School 2 • Sep 2022