Urmston Grammar Academy

Urmston Grammar Academy is a selective secondary school and sixth form, and the only school in a single-academy trust. Inspectors found it performs strongly across every inspected area, with safeguarding standards met. Pupils achieve very highly in national examinations at GCSE and A level, often well above national averages, and disadvantaged pupils perform particularly well, outperforming non-disadvantaged peers nationally. Attendance is very high, and persistent absence is well below average. The report highlights an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum, strong subject teaching, effective support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, and a respectful culture where pupils behave maturely. Leadership and governance are effective, staff feel valued and supported, and pupils benefit from wide personal development, careers guidance, and post-16 opportunities. The school prepares pupils well for ambitious next steps. The main areas for continued development are refining systems for gathering and sharing information about pupils who face barriers to learning or wellbeing, and continuing to improve the curriculum to overcome barriers and secure transformational impact for all pupils. No graded area was identified as needing attention or urgent improvement, and safeguarding was judged met.

Strengths

• Pupils attain very highly in national examinations at GCSE and A level, often well above national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils attain and progress better than non-disadvantaged peers nationally.
• Attendance is very high, and persistent absence is well below national averages.
• Pupils behave maturely, show self-discipline, and treat each other with respect.
• Leaders have created a caring, supportive, and ambitious school culture.
• The curriculum is ambitious, well sequenced, and regularly refined.
• Teachers have very secure subject knowledge and explain complex ideas clearly.
• Teachers use effective strategies to remove barriers and correct misconceptions quickly.
• Inclusion is strong, with effective support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• Leadership and governance are highly effective, with strong staff development and wellbeing support.
• Personal development prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• Pupils access a broad range of clubs, trips, and careers guidance.
• Post-16 provision prepares students very well for independent study and ambitious destinations.
• Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils feel safe.

Areas for Improvement

• Systems and processes for gathering and sharing information about pupils facing barriers to learning or wellbeing need to be maximised.
• Leaders should seek continued curriculum improvement to overcome barriers and drive transformational impact for all pupils.

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 Urmston Grammar Academy attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 6.5% 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, 1.1% of pupils at Urmston Grammar Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No 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 Urmston Grammar Academy had 16.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.4% 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, 5.9% of pupils at Urmston Grammar Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 0.4% 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 Urmston Grammar Academy received £7,111 and spent £7,426 for each of its 1,124 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £210,000 (£187 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.

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• Secondary Schools

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What is Urmston Grammar Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Urmston Grammar Academy is Strong standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Urmston Grammar Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Urmston Grammar Academy was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Urmston Grammar Academy have?

Urmston Grammar Academy has 1,137 pupils on roll.

What age range does Urmston Grammar Academy cover?

Urmston Grammar Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Urmston Grammar Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 75.6, and 99% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Urmston Grammar Academy?

Urmston Grammar Academy is at Newton Road, Urmston, Manchester, M41 5UG.