Manor Church of England Academy

Manor Church of England Academy is a large secondary school in the Heartwood Learning Trust. Inspectors found it to be performing strongly overall, with safeguarding standards met. Pupils achieve well above national averages in many subjects, and the school has been successful in narrowing gaps between disadvantaged pupils and their peers. The quality of work in books is high across the curriculum, with no difference between disadvantaged pupils or pupils with SEND and their peers. Assessment is used well to identify what pupils know and need to learn next, and reading interventions help pupils become competent readers. Notable strengths include the strategic leadership of the curriculum, the inclusive culture, and the pastoral care. The 'Manor Learning Model' provides consistent lesson structures that help pupils understand expectations. Inclusion is a significant strength: leaders use pupil premium funding effectively, '360 meetings' identify barriers quickly, and SEND pupils have high-quality plans. Pupils behave very well, feel safe, and value the school's values. The personal development programme and extra-curricular offer are broad and well received. Governors and trustees provide effective challenge and support, and staff feel well supported. The main area for development is attendance, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. Although overall attendance is in line with national averages, the attendance of these groups has been slower to improve following the pandemic. Leaders have introduced measures such as the 'power hour' and rewards, which are beginning to have an impact, but they should further refine their use of attendance data to broaden strategies and improve outcomes for these pupils.

Strengths

• High-quality work in pupils' books across the curriculum
• No difference in quality or quantity of work for disadvantaged pupils or pupils with SEND compared to peers
• Assessment is a strength, accurately identifying what pupils do well and need to improve
• Pupils achieve significantly higher outcomes than others nationally in many subjects
• Gaps between disadvantaged pupils and their peers are narrowing quickly
• Foundational knowledge in mathematics, reading and writing is well developed
• Comprehensive reading intervention programme helps pupils become competent readers
• The 'Manor Learning Model' provides consistent lesson structures that pupils understand
• Teachers are highly knowledgeable and model concepts confidently and accurately
• Staff training on inclusion has consistent impact across subjects
• Strong focus on vocabulary development in English, humanities and languages
• Significant work ensures all pupils are fully included, especially vulnerable pupils
• Precise '360 meetings' identify barriers and put bespoke support in place
• Comprehensive SEND identification systems and high-quality plans help pupils achieve
• Alternative provision supports pupils with complex needs, improving attendance, behaviour and wellbeing
• Leaders have a clear understanding of strengths and priorities with effective self-evaluation
• Governors and trustees are highly knowledgeable and provide consistent challenge and support
• Staff wellbeing is carefully considered and leaders are considerate of workload
• Personal development programme meets pupils' needs and addresses safeguarding risks
• Broad extra-curricular offer shaped by pupils' views, with increasing vulnerable pupil attendance
• Structured careers programme with work experience, fairs and external speakers
• Pastoral care is a significant strength and fully embedded
• Pupils behave very well, are polite, articulate and welcoming
• School is calm and purposeful with warm relationships between staff and pupils
• Zero-tolerance approach to bullying, harassment and discrimination is acted on quickly
• Pupils feel safe and valued, with one saying 'I feel privileged to be a pupil here and I know that I matter'
• Attendance is at the heart of school priorities with well-thought-out monitoring systems
• Overall attendance is in line with national averages
• Pupils progress to destinations aligned with their career aspirations

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND requires further improvement
• Leaders need to refine their use of attendance data, drawing on best practice and research, to broaden strategies
• Persistent absence for disadvantaged pupils has been slower to improve following the pandemic

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 Manor Church of England Academy attended 91.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.1% 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, 6.9% of pupils at Manor Church of England 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 Manor Church of England Academy had 18.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.6% 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, 7.9% of pupils at Manor Church of England Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.0% 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 Manor Church of England Academy received £7,258 and spent £7,063 for each of its 1,142 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,532,000 (£1,342 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Heartwood Learning Trust, income was £8,073 and spending £7,816 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 York · York local authority: places and applications

Manor Church of England Academy is part of Heartwood Learning Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Poppleton Ousebank Primary School York
• Vale of York Academy York
• Skelton Primary School York
• Burton Green Primary School York
• Forest of Galtres Anglican/Methodist Primary School York
• Barlby High School Selby
• Newland St John's Church of England Academy Hull
• Graham School Scarborough
• George Pindar School Scarborough
• St James' Church of England Academy Hull

What is Manor Church of England Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Manor Church of England Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Manor Church of England Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Manor Church of England Academy was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Manor Church of England Academy have?

Manor Church of England Academy has 1,136 pupils on roll.

What age range does Manor Church of England Academy cover?

Manor Church of England Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Manor Church of England Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 50.4, and 58% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Manor Church of England Academy?

Manor Church of England Academy is at Millfield Lane, Nether Poppleton, York, North Yorkshire, YO26 6PA.