Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester

Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester, part of Star Academies, was inspected on 12 May 2026 and received the highest possible grade of Exceptional in every evaluated area: achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Safeguarding standards are met. The school has a Muslim religious character, 636 pupils, a well-above-average proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals, and serves an area of well-above-average deprivation. Despite this context, pupils achieve exceptionally well, with key stage 4 attainment and progress consistently above national averages, and disadvantaged pupils outperforming non-disadvantaged pupils nationally. The report highlights exemplary behaviour, consistently high attendance, and a meticulously designed curriculum delivered with high consistency. Pupils with SEND make significant gains, and the school's 'Every Star Matters' inclusion framework ensures barriers to learning and wellbeing are removed. Leadership is described as the school's crown, with strong trust and governance partnership, rigorous processes, and a relentless focus on excellence. Staff receive exemplary professional development, and pupils benefit from a rich personal development offer, strong pastoral care, and a comprehensive careers programme. No areas of concern or weakness were identified in the report. The school is described as an oasis of calm routine and a beating heart of its community, with pupils who are respectful, self-disciplined, and exceptionally well prepared for their next steps.

Strengths

• Pupils make exceptional progress from their starting points across all subjects and year groups.
• Key stage 4 attainment and progress are consistently above national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils' attainment is higher than non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.
• Pupils with SEND make significant gains because of effective teaching and support.
• Consistently high attendance is maintained over time, including for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Pupils' behaviour and attitudes are exemplary, with no low-level disruption in lessons.
• Bullying is extremely rare, and there is no discriminatory or derogatory language.
• The curriculum is meticulously designed and delivered with high consistency across all subjects and phases.
• Teachers make frequent and purposeful checks on learning and address misconceptions swiftly.
• Pupils who find reading, writing or mathematics difficult receive excellent support to close gaps.
• The 'Every Star Matters' inclusion framework ensures every pupil is known and barriers are removed.
• Leadership is exemplary, with strong governance and trust partnership driving sustained improvement.
• Staff benefit from an exemplary programme of professional development.
• The personal development offer broadens pupils' horizons, builds character, and encourages service.
• Pupils receive strong careers advice and are inspired by alumni role models.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture of safeguarding.

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 Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 10.3% 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, 1.4% of pupils at Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester 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 Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester had 14.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.5% 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, 8.6% of pupils at Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.3% 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 Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester received £8,791 and spent £8,610 for each of its 636 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £2,229,000 (£3,505 per pupil).

Across all 36 schools of Star Academies, income was £8,430 and spending £8,333 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

Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester is part of Star Academies, which runs 36 schools. The nearest others:

• Eden Boys' Leadership Academy, Manchester Manchester
• The Olive School, Manchester Manchester
• Star Radcliffe Academy Radcliffe
• Star Salford Academy Worsley
• Oulder Hill Leadership Academy Rochdale
• Eden Boys' School, Bolton Bolton
• The Olive School, Bolton Bolton
• Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School Rossendale
• The Valley Leadership Academy Bacup
• Tauheedul Islam Boys' High School Blackburn

What is Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester is Exceptional, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester last inspected by Ofsted?

Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester have?

Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester has 659 pupils on roll.

What age range does Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester cover?

Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 61.8, and 68% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester?

Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester is at 40 Rayburn Way, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M8 8DT.