SchoolChecker

The Barlow RC High School

Parrs Wood Road, East Didsbury, Manchester · M20 6BX

SecondaryVoluntary aided schoolMixedAges 11–16918 pupils
Visit website ↗01614458053Ward: E05011362MP: E14001354
Ofsted
Not yet inspected
Attainment 8A pupil’s average score across 8 GCSE subjects (English and maths double-weighted). Higher is better; the maximum is roughly 90.
49.8

GCSE · 2024-25

Overall absence
7.8%

2024-25

Free school mealsFree School Meals: the share of pupils eligible for free school meals — a common measure of disadvantage.
38.8%

2024-25

Pupils per teacher
15.7

2025-26

Spend per pupil
£9,254

2024-25

Places filled
102%

918 of 900 places · 2025-26

Ofsted

Not yet inspected

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.↑ +3.0

Average GCSE score across 8 subjects

46.8
'18-19
48.5
'21-22
46.5
'22-23
50.6
'23-24
49.8
'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.↑ +17%

A strong pass in both

36%
'18-19
49%
'21-22
46%
'22-23
53%
'23-24
53%
'24-25

Grade 4+ in English & Maths↑ +13%

A standard pass in both

60%
'18-19
70%
'21-22
63%
'22-23
76%
'23-24
73%
'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.↑ +0.08

Vs similar pupils nationally · 0 = average

0.04
'18-19
-0.19
'21-22
-0.19
'22-23
0.12
'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).↑ +0.35

4.07
'18-19
4.24
'21-22
4.20
'22-23
4.56
'23-24
4.42
'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.

+4.3 vs Manchester average

This school49.8
Manchester average45.5
Best in Manchester73.7
England average39.2

Grade 5+ in English & Maths

+13.3% vs Manchester average

This school53.4%
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.
38.8%
English as 2nd lang.English as an Additional Language: pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English.
17.3%
SEN supportSpecial Educational Needs support: pupils who get extra help in school but do not have an Education, Health and Care plan.
7.7%
With EHC planEducation, Health and Care plan: a legal document for children with more significant needs, setting out the support a council must provide.
7.8%

Gender split

48%
52%

437 girls · 481 boys

Ethnicity

White British
45.8%
African
12.0%
Other White
8.3%
Other ethnic group
5.1%
Indian
4.0%
White & Black Caribbean
4.0%
Pakistani
3.8%
Other Mixed
2.7%
Other Black
2.3%
Other Asian
2.2%
Unclassified
2.1%
White & Asian
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.

-5.0% vs Manchester average

This school38.8%
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.

-21.8% vs Manchester average

This school17.3%
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.

-5.2% vs Manchester average

This school7.7%
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.

-7.9% vs Manchester average

This school7.8%
Manchester average15.7%
England average14.6%

Attendance & absence

Share of school sessions missed

Overall absence rate↑ +2.1%

5.7%
'18-19
9.7%
'21-22
10.3%
'22-23
9.8%
'23-24
7.8%
'24-25

Persistent absenceThe percentage of pupils who miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions across the year.↑ +8.5%

Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions

13.2%
'18-19
31.3%
'21-22
28.2%
'22-23
27.4%
'23-24
21.7%
'24-25

How this school compares

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

Overall absence rate

+1.0% vs Manchester average

This school7.8%
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.

+3.3% vs Manchester average

This school21.7%
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.↑ +0.2%

Total suspensions as a share of pupils

2.5%
'16-17
3.1%
'17-18
2.2%
'18-19
3.9%
'19-20
2.6%
'20-21
3.5%
'21-22
6.7%
'22-23
5.7%
'23-24
2.7%
'24-25

Pupils suspended at least once↓ -0.3%

Share of pupils with one or more suspension

2.2%
'16-17
3.0%
'17-18
1.8%
'18-19
3.0%
'19-20
2.1%
'20-21
2.8%
'21-22
5.8%
'22-23
4.5%
'23-24
1.9%
'24-25

Permanent exclusion rateThe percentage of pupils permanently excluded (expelled) from the school during the year.↓ -0.12%

0.23%
'16-17
0.45%
'17-18
0.11%
'18-19
0.11%
'19-20
0.00%
'20-21
0.00%
'21-22
0.11%
'22-23
0.33%
'23-24
0.11%
'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.

+0.1% vs Manchester average

This school2.7%
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.

+0.09% vs Manchester average

This school0.11%
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)

87% sustained

Year 11 leavers · 2024-25

Education 84%Apprenticeship 2%Employment 1%Not sustained 8%

The local area

Neighbourhood context around the school in Manchester

Median house price
£515,000

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.
5/10

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+
58%

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.

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

Overall
5/10
Income
7/10
Employment
9/10
Education
10/10
Health
4/10
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 105581