SchoolChecker

Didsbury High School

4 The Avenue, Didsbury, Manchester · M20 2ET

SecondaryFree schoolsMixedAges 11–181,181 pupilsTHE LAURUS TRUST
Visit website ↗01615075600Ward: E05011363MP: E14001354
Ofsted
Outstanding

Jan 2024

Attainment 8A pupil’s average score across 8 GCSE subjects (English and maths double-weighted). Higher is better; the maximum is roughly 90.
57.1

GCSE · 2024-25

Overall absence
8.2%

2024-25

Free school mealsFree School Meals: the share of pupils eligible for free school meals — a common measure of disadvantage.
37.8%

2024-25

Pupils per teacher
13.6

2025-26

Spend per pupil
£7,721

2024-25

Places filled
87%

1,181 of 1,350 places · 2025-26

Ofsted

Last inspected 30 January 2024

Overall effectivenessOutstanding
Sixth form
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Quality of education
Outstanding
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Outstanding
Read the full Ofsted report ↗

GCSE results (Key Stage 4)

All state-funded pupils

Attainment 8A pupil’s average score across 8 GCSE subjects (English and maths double-weighted). Higher is better; the maximum is roughly 90.↓ -0.2

Average GCSE score across 8 subjects

57.3
'23-24
57.1
'24-25

Grade 5+ in English & MathsThe percentage of pupils achieving at least a grade 5 (a “strong pass”) in both GCSE English and maths.↑ +1%

A strong pass in both

60%
'23-24
61%
'24-25

Grade 4+ in English & Maths↑ +0%

A standard pass in both

80%
'23-24
80%
'24-25

Progress 8How much pupils progress from the end of primary to GCSE compared with similar pupils nationally. 0 is average; positive is above, negative is below.

Vs similar pupils nationally · 0 = average

0.67
'23-24
—
'24-25

EBacc average point scoreEnglish Baccalaureate Average Point Score: average grade across the core academic EBacc subjects (English, maths, sciences, a language, history or geography).↓ -0.04

5.59
'23-24
5.55
'24-25

Progress 8 was not published for 2019/20, 2020/21 (exams cancelled) or recent years lacking a KS2 baseline.

How this school compares

Against Manchester (its local authority) and England · 2024-25

Attainment 8A pupil’s average score across 8 GCSE subjects (English and maths double-weighted). Higher is better; the maximum is roughly 90.

+11.6 vs Manchester average

This school57.1
Manchester average45.5
Best in Manchester73.7
England average39.2

Grade 5+ in English & Maths

+20.5% vs Manchester average

This school60.6%
Manchester average40.1%
Best in Manchester93.2%
England average36.0%

A-level & 16–18 results

Sixth-form attainment

A-level average point score

Per entry

37.5
'24-25

Academic average point score

37.5
'24-25

How this school compares

Against Manchester (its local authority) and England · 2024-25

A-level average point score

+0.5 vs Manchester average

This school37.5
Manchester average37.0
Best in Manchester50.6
England average33.8

Pupil makeup

Spring school census · 2024-25

Free school mealsFree School Meals: the share of pupils eligible for free school meals — a common measure of disadvantage.
37.8%
English as 2nd lang.English as an Additional Language: pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English.
33.8%
SEN supportSpecial Educational Needs support: pupils who get extra help in school but do not have an Education, Health and Care plan.
4.8%
With EHC planEducation, Health and Care plan: a legal document for children with more significant needs, setting out the support a council must provide.
17.6%

Gender split

48%
52%

572 girls · 609 boys

Ethnicity

White British
36.2%
Other ethnic group
11.6%
Pakistani
10.8%
Other Mixed
5.9%
Other White
5.5%
White & Black Caribbean
5.4%
Unclassified
4.6%
Other Asian
3.8%
White & Asian
3.4%
African
3.1%
Indian
2.5%
Caribbean
1.9%

Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

How this school compares

Against Manchester (its local authority) and England · 2024-25

Free school mealsFree School Meals: the share of pupils eligible for free school meals — a common measure of disadvantage.

-6.0% vs Manchester average

This school37.8%
Manchester average43.8%
England average23.2%

English as 2nd lang.English as an Additional Language: pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English.

-5.3% vs Manchester average

This school33.8%
Manchester average39.1%
England average16.4%

SEN supportSpecial Educational Needs support: pupils who get extra help in school but do not have an Education, Health and Care plan.

-8.1% vs Manchester average

This school4.8%
Manchester average12.9%
England average11.2%

With EHC planEducation, Health and Care plan: a legal document for children with more significant needs, setting out the support a council must provide.

+1.9% vs Manchester average

This school17.6%
Manchester average15.7%
England average14.6%

Attendance & absence

Share of school sessions missed

Overall absence rate↑ +2.4%

5.8%
'21-22
6.8%
'22-23
8.0%
'23-24
8.2%
'24-25

Persistent absenceThe percentage of pupils who miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions across the year.↑ +8.3%

Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions

15.4%
'21-22
20.0%
'22-23
22.5%
'23-24
23.7%
'24-25

How this school compares

Against Manchester (its local authority) and England · 2024-25

Overall absence rate

+1.4% vs Manchester average

This school8.2%
Manchester average6.8%
Best in Manchester2.8%
England average6.2%

Persistent absenceThe percentage of pupils who miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions across the year.

+5.3% vs Manchester average

This school23.7%
Manchester average18.4%
Best in Manchester3.7%
England average15.8%

Suspensions & exclusions

As a percentage of pupils on roll

Suspension rateThe number of suspensions (fixed-period exclusions) expressed as a percentage of pupils on roll. A pupil can be suspended more than once.↑ +2.3%

Total suspensions as a share of pupils

6.2%
'19-20
2.6%
'20-21
4.9%
'21-22
8.7%
'22-23
7.0%
'23-24
8.5%
'24-25

Pupils suspended at least once↑ +0.6%

Share of pupils with one or more suspension

4.3%
'19-20
2.4%
'20-21
3.9%
'21-22
5.8%
'22-23
4.7%
'23-24
4.9%
'24-25

Permanent exclusion rateThe percentage of pupils permanently excluded (expelled) from the school during the year.↑ +0.08%

0.00%
'19-20
0.00%
'20-21
0.31%
'21-22
0.00%
'22-23
0.27%
'23-24
0.08%
'24-25

How this school compares

Against Manchester (its local authority) and England · 2024-25

Suspension rateThe number of suspensions (fixed-period exclusions) expressed as a percentage of pupils on roll. A pupil can be suspended more than once.

+5.9% vs Manchester average

This school8.5%
Manchester average2.6%
Best in Manchester0.0%
England average2.5%

Permanent exclusion rateThe percentage of pupils permanently excluded (expelled) from the school during the year.

+0.06% vs Manchester average

This school0.08%
Manchester average0.02%
Best in Manchester0.00%
England average0.03%

The local area

Neighbourhood context around the school in Manchester

Median house price
£238,500

2023 · England £295,000

DeprivationIndex of Multiple Deprivation: the official measure of relative deprivation for small areas. Areas are split into deciles, where 1 is the most-deprived 10% in England and 10 the least.
7/10

10 = least deprived

Claimant rateThe share of residents aged 16–64 claiming unemployment-related benefits (the claimant count) — a timely local proxy for unemployment.
6.1%

April 2026 · England 4.1%

Degree-level+
84%

Residents 16+ · Census 2021

Deprivation (IMD) Index of Multiple Deprivation: the official measure of relative deprivation for small areas. Areas are split into deciles, where 1 is the most-deprived 10% in England and 10 the least.

Less deprived than the England average · 1 = most deprived 10%, 10 = least

Overall
7/10
Income
10/10
Employment
10/10
Education
8/10
Health
4/10
Crime
9/10

Area figures describe the neighbourhood around the school (LSOA/MSOA), not the school itself. Sources: ONS, Home Office (data.police.uk), MHCLG — Open Government Licence v3.0.

Data last updated 06/06/2026 · URN 143729