SchoolChecker

Our Lady's RC High School

Alworth Road, Higher Blackley, Manchester · M9 0RP

SecondaryVoluntary aided schoolMixedAges 11–161,050 pupils
Visit website ↗01615079640Ward: E05011367MP: E14001103
Ofsted
Report card

Nov 2025

Attainment 8A pupil’s average score across 8 GCSE subjects (English and maths double-weighted). Higher is better; the maximum is roughly 90.
49.1

GCSE · 2024-25

Overall absence
4.4%

2024-25

Free school mealsFree School Meals: the share of pupils eligible for free school meals — a common measure of disadvantage.
43.0%

2024-25

Pupils per teacher
13.8

2025-26

Spend per pupil
£8,850

2024-25

Places filled
100%

1,050 of 1,050 places · 2025-26

Ofsted

Last inspected 11 November 2025

Ofsted report cardFrom November 2025 Ofsted replaced the single overall grade with a report card: each area is judged separately on a five-point scale.

Inclusion
Strong standard
Achievement
Strong standard
Early years
Not applicable
Post-16 provision
Not applicable
Curriculum and teaching
Strong standard
Attendance and behaviour
Strong standard
Leadership and governance
Strong standard
Personal development and wellbeing
Strong standard
Safeguarding
Met
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.↑ +4.3

Average GCSE score across 8 subjects

44.8
'18-19
47.8
'21-22
49.9
'22-23
48.6
'23-24
49.1
'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.↑ +12%

A strong pass in both

34%
'18-19
39%
'21-22
45%
'22-23
46%
'23-24
46%
'24-25

Grade 4+ in English & Maths↑ +11%

A standard pass in both

56%
'18-19
60%
'21-22
66%
'22-23
72%
'23-24
67%
'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.↑ +0.32

Vs similar pupils nationally · 0 = average

0.01
'18-19
0.07
'21-22
0.35
'22-23
0.33
'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).↑ +0.46

3.87
'18-19
4.05
'21-22
4.39
'22-23
4.26
'23-24
4.33
'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.

+3.6 vs Manchester average

This school49.1
Manchester average45.5
Best in Manchester73.7
England average39.2

Grade 5+ in English & Maths

+5.8% vs Manchester average

This school45.9%
Manchester average40.1%
Best in Manchester93.2%
England average36.0%

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.
43.0%
English as 2nd lang.English as an Additional Language: pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English.
57.6%
SEN supportSpecial Educational Needs support: pupils who get extra help in school but do not have an Education, Health and Care plan.
4.9%
With EHC planEducation, Health and Care plan: a legal document for children with more significant needs, setting out the support a council must provide.
11.7%

Gender split

52%
48%

543 girls · 507 boys

Ethnicity

African
30.3%
White British
27.5%
Other Black
9.8%
Other White
9.0%
White & Black Caribbean
3.7%
White & Black African
3.5%
Unclassified
3.0%
Indian
2.4%
Other Asian
2.2%
Caribbean
2.0%
Pakistani
1.8%
Chinese
1.5%

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.

-0.8% vs Manchester average

This school43.0%
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.

+18.5% vs Manchester average

This school57.6%
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.

-8.0% vs Manchester average

This school4.9%
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.

-4.0% vs Manchester average

This school11.7%
Manchester average15.7%
England average14.6%

Attendance & absence

Share of school sessions missed

Overall absence rate↓ -0.2%

4.6%
'18-19
5.6%
'21-22
4.7%
'22-23
4.9%
'23-24
4.4%
'24-25

Persistent absenceThe percentage of pupils who miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions across the year.↓ -0.3%

Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions

10.4%
'18-19
13.5%
'21-22
10.7%
'22-23
10.7%
'23-24
10.1%
'24-25

How this school compares

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

Overall absence rate

-2.4% vs Manchester average

This school4.4%
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.

-8.3% vs Manchester average

This school10.1%
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.↓ -0.6%

Total suspensions as a share of pupils

0.6%
'16-17
1.0%
'17-18
1.1%
'18-19
1.3%
'19-20
0.7%
'20-21
0.3%
'21-22
0.0%
'22-23
0.0%
'23-24
0.1%
'24-25

Pupils suspended at least once↓ -0.4%

Share of pupils with one or more suspension

0.5%
'16-17
0.9%
'17-18
1.1%
'18-19
1.3%
'19-20
0.7%
'20-21
0.3%
'21-22
0.0%
'22-23
0.0%
'23-24
0.1%
'24-25

Permanent exclusion rateThe percentage of pupils permanently excluded (expelled) from the school during the year.↑ +0.19%

0.00%
'16-17
0.00%
'17-18
0.12%
'18-19
0.12%
'19-20
0.11%
'20-21
0.11%
'21-22
0.00%
'22-23
0.10%
'23-24
0.19%
'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.

-2.5% vs Manchester average

This school0.1%
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.

+0.17% vs Manchester average

This school0.19%
Manchester average0.02%
Best in Manchester0.00%
England average0.03%

What pupils do next

Sustained destinations the year after leaving

After GCSEs (Key Stage 4)

95% sustained

Year 11 leavers · 2024-25

Education 92%Apprenticeship 3%Not sustained 3%

The local area

Neighbourhood context around the school in Manchester

Median house price
£287,500

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.
2/10

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+
25%

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.

Among the most deprived areas in England · 1 = most deprived 10%, 10 = least

Overall
2/10
Income
2/10
Employment
2/10
Education
2/10
Health
2/10
Crime
1/10

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 105576