Whalley Range 11-18 High School

Whalley Range 11-18 High School is a large secondary school in Manchester and part of Greater Manchester Education Trust, serving a pupil population with well-above-average free school meals eligibility. Inspectors found the school performing very strongly across achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, personal development, and post-16 provision. Safeguarding standards are met. Pupils make consistently strong progress through an ambitious curriculum and achieve outcomes above national peers, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Attendance is significantly above national averages and behaviour is exemplary. Sixth-form students progress well, especially on applied general courses, and destinations are positive. Leaders are ambitious, governance is effective, and pastoral, enrichment and careers support are strong. The main areas to refine are sustaining curriculum and teaching improvements so that high achievement is secure across all key stages and subjects, including the top grades, and tightening oversight of pupils in alternative provision so leaders can be fully assured those pupils benefit from interventions and that attendance is monitored precisely.

Strengths

• Pupils make consistently strong progress through a highly ambitious curriculum
• Outcomes are significantly above national averages, including for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND
• Attendance is significantly above national averages and persistent absence is below average
• Pupils behave exceptionally well, with high integrity and little need for supervision
• Teaching is highly effective, with strong subject knowledge and rapid addressing of misconceptions
• Reading, writing and numeracy support helps pupils catch up quickly
• Inclusion is strong, with tailored support and swift help for pupils facing barriers
• Leadership and governance are ambitious, evidence-informed and effective
• Personal development, careers education and pastoral support are highly effective
• Post-16 provision is highly ambitious, with strong teaching and positive university destinations
• Staff wellbeing and professional development are carefully considered
• Enrichment and community links are broad and meaningful

Areas for Improvement

• Leaders should sustain and embed curriculum and teaching improvements so pupils achieve highly across all key stages and subjects, including at grades 7 to 9
• Oversight and monitoring of pupils in alternative provision lack precision, including attendance and assurance that interventions are effective

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 Whalley Range 11-18 High School attended 92.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 19.0% 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, 6.8% of pupils at Whalley Range 11-18 High School 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 Whalley Range 11-18 High School had 15.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.0% 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, 14.7% of pupils at Whalley Range 11-18 High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.3% 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 Whalley Range 11-18 High School received £8,527 and spent £8,323 for each of its 1,650 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £2,831,000 (£1,716 per pupil).

Across all 4 schools of Greater Manchester Education Trust, income was £8,770 and spending £8,752 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 · Manchester local authority: places and applications

Whalley Range 11-18 High School is part of Greater Manchester Education Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Levenshulme High School Manchester
• Parrs Wood High School Manchester
• The East Manchester Academy Manchester
• Alexandra Park Primary School Stockport
• Queensgate Primary School Stockport

What is Whalley Range 11-18 High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Whalley Range 11-18 High School is Strong standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Whalley Range 11-18 High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Whalley Range 11-18 High School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Whalley Range 11-18 High School have?

Whalley Range 11-18 High School has 1,712 pupils on roll.

What age range does Whalley Range 11-18 High School cover?

Whalley Range 11-18 High School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Whalley Range 11-18 High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 52.1, and 52% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Whalley Range 11-18 High School?

Whalley Range 11-18 High School is at Wilbraham Road, Whalley Range, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M16 8GW.