Loreto High School Chorlton

Loreto High School Chorlton is a cohesive, inclusive Roman Catholic school where pupils feel safe, known and valued. Safeguarding standards are met, and inclusion is the standout feature: pupils with SEND are identified promptly, disadvantaged pupils are well supported through pupil premium, breakfasts, food banks and revision materials, and vulnerable pupils are monitored closely. Pupils generally achieve in line with national peers by the end of Year 11, with disadvantaged pupils outperforming disadvantaged peers nationally; attendance is in line with national and improving, behaviour is generally calm, bullying is rare, and suspensions have fallen. Most areas of school life are secure. Leaders have embedded a well-crafted curriculum, improved teaching, and built coherent pastoral and personal-development provision, including a wide co-curriculum. Staff wellbeing is prioritised, governors provide effective support and challenge, and leaders have a sharp understanding of priorities following recent leadership changes. The school serves a disadvantaged community, with free school meals well above average and location deprivation well above average. The main areas for further work are ensuring teachers consistently identify and address misconceptions so pupils do not develop knowledge gaps, and strengthening the careers programme so more pupils move on to suitable pathways; destinations after 16 have been below national averages and it is too early to see the impact of recent improvements. Persistent absence also remains above the national average.

Strengths

• Highly inclusive ethos that runs through all aspects of school life
• Prompt identification and effective support for pupils with SEND
• Strong support for disadvantaged pupils, including use of pupil premium to remove financial barriers
• Free breakfasts, food bank access and revision materials help pupils be ready to learn
• Close monitoring of vulnerable pupils, including those known to social care and young carers
• Pupils attain broadly in line with national peers by the end of Year 11
• Disadvantaged pupils outperform disadvantaged peers nationally
• Effective help for pupils who struggle with reading, writing or number skills
• Attendance is in line with national averages and improving
• Calm lessons and generally respectful pupil behaviour; bullying is rare
• Suspensions and exclusions have been reduced
• Well-crafted curriculum across Years 7 to 11
• Teaching quality has improved, with staff supported to develop subject knowledge
• Leaders have a sharp understanding of strengths and priorities
• Staff wellbeing is prioritised and staff are proud to work at the school
• Governors fulfil statutory duties and provide effective support and challenge
• Coherent personal development and pastoral support, including mental health guidance
• Wide co-curriculum and leadership opportunities build pupils’ confidence and responsibility

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers do not consistently identify and address pupils’ misconceptions, leaving gaps in knowledge
• The careers programme has historically lacked variety, and some pupils do not move on to appropriate pathways
• Destinations after 16 have been below national averages
• Persistent absence remains above the national average
• It is too early to see the impact of recent careers improvements

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Loreto High School Chorlton attended 90.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 28.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 15.3% of pupils at Loreto High School Chorlton were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 7 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Loreto High School Chorlton had 13.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 17.0% of pupils at Loreto High School Chorlton were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Loreto High School Chorlton received £10,187 and spent £10,160 for each of its 743 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £219,000 (£295 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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What is Loreto High School Chorlton's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Loreto High School Chorlton is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Loreto High School Chorlton last inspected by Ofsted?

Loreto High School Chorlton was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Loreto High School Chorlton have?

Loreto High School Chorlton has 742 pupils on roll.

What age range does Loreto High School Chorlton cover?

Loreto High School Chorlton for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Loreto High School Chorlton's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 42.3, and 34% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Loreto High School Chorlton?

Loreto High School Chorlton is at Nell Lane, Chorlton-Cum-Hardy, Manchester, M21 7SW.