The East Manchester Academy

The East Manchester Academy is an inclusive secondary comprehensive within the Greater Manchester Education Trust. Inspectors found a tangible sense of community, high expectations and strong relationships, with pupils learning well in most subjects. The school has continued its rapid improvement since its previous Requires Improvement inspection; leadership and management and personal development are outstanding, while quality of education and behaviour and attitudes are good. No overall effectiveness grade is given because this was a graded inspection. Strengths include a broad, ambitious curriculum, strong subject knowledge, effective SEND support, consistent behaviour routines, and extensive personal development and pastoral care. Attendance is mostly regular and careers guidance is well tailored. The main concern is that some older pupils who struggle with reading do not get the support they need, which limits access to some parts of the curriculum. Published GCSE progress in 2024 was below the national average in a small number of subjects because past gaps were not addressed well enough, although current pupils are making better progress.

Strengths

• Inclusive school with a strong sense of community and caring staff
• Broad and ambitious curriculum that builds knowledge progressively
• Teachers have strong subject knowledge and address misconceptions quickly
• Pupils with SEND are accurately identified and well supported
• Consistent behaviour routines and high expectations
• Extensive personal development programme tailored to pupils
• Wide range of enrichment, sports, productions and Duke of Edinburgh
• Exceptional pastoral care and strong work with families and agencies
• Effective careers education and guidance
• Leadership and governance drive rapid improvement
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Some older pupils who struggle with reading do not receive the support needed to become fluent readers
• This reading gap hinders some older pupils' access to the full curriculum
• GCSE progress in 2024 was below national average in a small number of subjects due to previously unaddressed knowledge gaps

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 The East Manchester Academy attended 92.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.6% 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, 8.4% of pupils at The East Manchester Academy 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 The East Manchester Academy had 15.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.0% 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, 22.3% of pupils at The East Manchester Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.8% 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 The East Manchester Academy received £9,876 and spent £9,994 for each of its 1,039 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,606,000 (£1,545 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

The East Manchester Academy is part of Greater Manchester Education Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Levenshulme High School Manchester
• Whalley Range 11-18 High School Manchester
• Parrs Wood High School Manchester
• Alexandra Park Primary School Stockport
• Queensgate Primary School Stockport

What is The East Manchester Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The East Manchester Academy is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was The East Manchester Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The East Manchester Academy was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does The East Manchester Academy have?

The East Manchester Academy has 1,035 pupils on roll.

What age range does The East Manchester Academy cover?

The East Manchester Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are The East Manchester Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 46.2, and 37% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The East Manchester Academy?

The East Manchester Academy is at 60 Grey Mare Lane, Beswick, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M11 3DS.