Didsbury High School

Didsbury High School has received an outstanding rating in its first inspection, reflecting exceptional performance across all domains, including the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership, management, and sixth-form provision. The school, which has been operational since 2019, promotes high expectations and ambition for its pupils, ensuring they experience an exceptional curriculum that supports their academic and personal growth. It fosters a strong sense of community among pupils, who actively engage in cultural and leadership activities, showcasing their pride in diversity.

Strengths

• Exceptional curriculum that supports academic and personal growth.
• High expectations for pupil conduct and behaviour.
• Strong emphasis on staff professional development.
• Robust processes for identifying and supporting pupils with additional needs.
• Comprehensive personal development programme preparing pupils for modern society.
• Extensive range of extra-curricular opportunities enhancing skills and interests.

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 Didsbury High School attended 91.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.7% 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, 7.5% of pupils at Didsbury High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 4 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 Didsbury High School had 13.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.3% 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, 18.0% of pupils at Didsbury High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.3% 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 Didsbury High School received £8,661 and spent £8,312 for each of its 1,183 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £502,000 (£425 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of The Laurus Trust, income was £8,057 and spending £7,826 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

Didsbury High School is part of The Laurus Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Priestnall School Stockport
• Crown Street Primary School Manchester
• Norris Bank Primary School Stockport
• Laurus Cheadle Hulme Cheadle
• Cheadle Hulme Primary School Stockport
• Cheadle Hulme High School Cheadle
• Hazel Grove High School Stockport
• Hazel Grove Primary School Stockport
• Laurus Ryecroft Manchester
• Gorsey Bank Primary School Wilmslow

What is Didsbury High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Didsbury High School is Outstanding, from an inspection in March 2024.

When was Didsbury High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Didsbury High School was last inspected in March 2024.

How many pupils does Didsbury High School have?

Didsbury High School has 1,220 pupils on roll.

What age range does Didsbury High School cover?

Didsbury High School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Didsbury High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 57.8, and 62% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Didsbury High School?

Didsbury High School is at 4 the Avenue, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 2ET.