OFSTED
12 June 2024
Latest ungraded inspection
Latest published outcome
School remains Good
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Voluntary aided school
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic
Local authority
Manchester
Trust
Not applicable
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
930
930 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
443
47.6% of pupils
Male pupils
487
52.4% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
14.7 pts
above England
School
39.5%
Manchester
46.4%
North West
28.5%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
3.8 pts
below England
School
16.5%
Manchester
42.0%
North West
18.1%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
10.4 pts
above England
School
11.4%
Manchester
1.9%
North West
0.8%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
45.6%
424
African
12.4%
115
Any other White background
8.6%
80
Any other ethnic group
5.2%
48
Pakistani
4.0%
37
White and Black Caribbean
4.0%
37
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
16.5%
153 of
930 pupils
4.4 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
7.2 pts
below
England
6.0%
2.8 pts
above
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
49.8
10.6 pts
above England
Latest published: 0.12 · 2023/24
Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
7.76%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
1.54 pts
higher than
England
School
7.76%
Manchester
6.82%
North West
6.25%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
21.67%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
5.86 pts
higher than
England
School
21.67%
Manchester
18.60%
North West
15.89%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
4.33%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
2.53 pts
higher than
England
School
4.33%
Manchester
2.21%
North West
1.75%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open secondary schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
98.9%
6.6 pts
above England
The Barlow RC High School
98.9%
Manchester
93.3%
North West
91.8%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.