Droylsden Academy

Droylsden Academy continues to be recognized as a good school, maintaining high standards in both academic achievement and student well-being. Pupils express pride in attending the school, where they feel safe, accepted, and supported by staff. The school's curriculum is broad and ambitious, designed to meet the diverse needs of its students, and is frequently updated based on careful consideration by leaders and teachers. While most pupils achieve well and are prepared for future educational and employment opportunities, there is a noted issue concerning the support for some students struggling with reading.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate high levels of pride and acceptance in their school.
• The school maintains a strong culture of safeguarding and pastoral support.
• Leaders prioritize continuous professional development for teachers.
• The curriculum is well-structured and ambitious, promoting deep understanding.
• Pupils are actively engaged in leadership roles and extra-curricular activities.

Areas for Improvement

• Support for a minority of pupils struggling with reading is underdeveloped.

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 Droylsden Academy attended 90.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 24.3% 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, 15.4% of pupils at Droylsden Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 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 Droylsden Academy had 16.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.2% 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, 24.2% of pupils at Droylsden Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.2% 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 2024–25 Droylsden Academy received £9,337 and spent £8,977 for each of its 942 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £678,000 (£720 per pupil).

Across all 3 schools of Tame River Educational Trust, income was £4,896 and spending £4,768 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Manchester · Tameside local authority: places and applications

Droylsden Academy is part of Tame River Educational Trust, which runs 3 schools. The nearest others:

• Hyde High School Hyde
• Mossley Hollins High School Ashton-Under-Lyne

What is Droylsden Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Droylsden Academy is Good, from an inspection in October 2022.

When was Droylsden Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Droylsden Academy was last inspected in October 2022.

How many pupils does Droylsden Academy have?

Droylsden Academy has 926 pupils on roll.

What age range does Droylsden Academy cover?

Droylsden Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Droylsden Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 47.7, and 50% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Droylsden Academy?

Droylsden Academy is at MANOR ROAD, DROYLSDEN, MANCHESTER, GREATER MANCHESTER, M43 6QD.