Priestnall School
Priestnall School is an academy converter in Stockport for pupils aged 11 to 16. It has 1,312 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for Priestnall School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in October 2019 of its predecessor, Priestnall School. In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 55.8, and 68% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.
Ofsted inspection: September 2023. GCSE results: 2026.
| Type | Secondary / Academy converter |
| Age Range | 11-16 |
| Religion | Does not apply |
| Address | Priestnall Road Heaton Mersey Stockport Cheshire SK4 3HP |
| Phone | 01615497300 |
| Reference Number | 149936 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 1312 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 53.05%
Girls: 46.95% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 13.5% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 12% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 25 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 144 | 130 | 274 |
| 8 | 143 | 133 | 276 |
| 9 | 125 | 136 | 261 |
| 10 | 141 | 113 | 254 |
| 11 | 143 | 104 | 247 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 75.5% |
| Pakistani | 5.7% |
| White, Other | 3.5% |
| Mixed, Other | 2.8% |
| Unclassified | 1.7% |
| White & Asian | 1.6% |
| Indian | 1.4% |
| Asian, Other | 1.2% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 1.1% |
| White & Black (African) | 1.1% |
| African | 1.1% |
| Irish | 0.5% |
| Chinese | 0.3% |
| Caribbean | 0.2% |
This school has not been graded since it changed URN, usually on converting to an academy. The rating shown is from its predecessor, Priestnall School, inspected in October 2019.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Requires Improvement |
| Last Report Date | This school has not had an inspection yet. |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 06 Sep 2023 | Academy conversion letter |
Attainment 8 Score
Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:
- English
- Maths
- 3 subjects from qualifications that count towards the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), like sciences, language and history
- 3 more GCSE qualifications (including EBacc subjects) or technical awards from a list approved by the Department for Education
Each grade a pupil gets is assigned a point score from 9 (the highest) to 1 (the lowest). These scores are added up, with English and maths counted twice.
| School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|
| 55.8 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
GCSE Results
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 67.8% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| 5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4 (or A-C) | 75.1% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Attainment 8 Score
Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:
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See how Priestnall School ranks locally and nationally. Percentile rankings against every other school, historic result charts, admissions data and post-GCSE destinations are all included.
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Unlock for £9.99Year 7 admissions, 2026 entry
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| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 85 | 3 |
| Third Preference | 43 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 28 | 1 |
Previous years
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In 2024–25 Priestnall School had 1,297 pupils for 1,275 places. That is 22 more pupils than the school has room for.
Pupils and places
Year 7 intake in the “West Secondary” planning area
Stockport counted 1,400 Year 7 pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 1,339 in 2031–32, down 4%.
| 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Places | 1,275 | 1,275 |
| Pupils | 1,263 | 1,297 |
| Unfilled | 0.9% | 0.0% |
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.
Destinations after GCSE's
| Staying in Education | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| > Further Education | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| > School Sixth Form | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| > Sixth Form College | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| > Other Education | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Apprenticeships | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Employment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Not in education or employment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Unknown | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
In 2024–25 pupils at Priestnall School attended 91.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 7.0% | 7.1% |
| Unauthorised absence | 1.2% | 1.4% |
| Severely absent pupils | 4.9% | 4.5% |
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 Priestnall School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 17.5 | 13.9 |
| Permanent exclusions | 4 | 0 |
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 Priestnall School had 17.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 10.5 | 10.1 | 10.8 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 12.0% | 6.4% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | 66.7% | 76.5% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | 5.7 | 5.3 | – |
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, 19.8% of pupils at Priestnall School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).
The school has resourced provision with 29 pupils.
Pupils by main type of need
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Social, emotional and mental health | 104 | 29 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 40 | 9 |
| Moderate learning difficulty | 37 | 11 |
| Speech, language and communication needs | 34 | 10 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 18 | 21 |
| No specialist assessment of need | 7 | 0 |
| Other difficulty or disability | 7 | 0 |
| Physical disability | 5 | 2 |
| Vision impairment | 4 | 2 |
| Hearing impairment | 3 | 1 |
| Severe learning difficulty | 0 | 2 |
| Multi-sensory impairment | 1 | 0 |
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 Priestnall School received £8,183 and spent £8,180 for each of its 1,285 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £39,000 (-£31 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
| 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | -£51,000 | -£39,000 |
| per pupil | -£40 | -£31 |
| In-year balance | -£511,000 | £4,000 |
| per pupil | -£402 | £3 |
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.
| Name | Distance |
|
Tithe Barn Primary School
Mauldeth Road, Heaton Mersey, Stockport, Cheshire, SK4 3NG |
0.2 miles |
|
Freshfield Nursery School
42 Mauldeth Road, Stockport, SK4 3NB |
0.2 miles |
|
St John's Church of England Primary School
Poplar Street, Heaton Mersey, Stockport, Cheshire, SK4 3DG |
0.33 miles |
|
Didsbury Road Primary School
Didsbury Road, Heaton Mersey, Didsbury Road Primary School, Stockport, Cheshire, SK4 3HB |
0.37 miles |
|
St Winifred's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy
Didsbury Road, Stockport, Cheshire, SK4 3JH |
0.37 miles |
|
Stella Maris School
St John's Road, Heaton Mersey, Stockport, Cheshire, SK4 3BR |
0.43 miles |
|
Mersey Vale Primary School
Valley Road, Heaton Mersey, Stockport, Cheshire, SK4 2BZ |
0.66 miles |
|
Norris Bank Primary School
Green Lane, Heaton Norris, Stockport, Cheshire, SK4 2NF |
0.69 miles |
|
Green End Primary School
Burnage Lane, Burnage, Manchester, M19 1DR |
0.79 miles |
|
St Bernard's RC Primary School Manchester
Burnage Lane, Manchester, M19 1DR |
0.81 miles |
|
St Catherine's RC Primary School
School Lane, Didsbury, St Catherines Rc Primary Scho, Manchester, M20 6HS |
0.95 miles |
|
Ladybarn Primary School
Briarfield Road, Withington, Manchester, M20 4SR |
1.05 miles |
|
St Thomas' Church of England Primary School Heaton Chapel
Wellington Road North, Heaton Chapel, Stockport, Cheshire, SK4 4QG |
1.15 miles |
|
Beaver Road Primary School
Beaver Road, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 6SX |
1.16 miles |
|
Mauldeth Road Primary School
Mauldeth Road, Withington, Manchester, M14 6SG |
1.22 miles |
|
St Cuthbert's RC Primary School and Nursery, A Voluntary Academy
Heyscroft Road, Withington, Manchester, M20 4UZ |
1.24 miles |
|
Lark Hill Primary School
Northgate Road, Edgeley, Stockport, Cheshire, SK3 9PH |
1.27 miles |
|
All Saints Church of England Primary School Stockport
Churchill Street, Heaton Norris, Stockport, Cheshire, SK4 1ND |
1.28 miles |
|
Cheadle Heath Primary School
Edgeley Road, Cheadle Heath, Stockport, Cheshire, SK3 0RJ |
1.3 miles |
|
Didsbury CofE Primary School
Elm Grove, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 6RL |
1.3 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Burnage Academy for Boys
Burnage Lane, Burnage, Manchester, M19 1ER |
0.74 miles |
|
Covenant Christian School
48 Heaton Moor Road, Heaton Moor, Stockport, Cheshire, SK4 4NX |
0.85 miles |
|
The Barlow RC High School
Parrs Wood Road, East Didsbury, Manchester, M20 6BX |
0.86 miles |
|
Heaton School
St James Road, Heaton Moor, Stockport, Cheshire, SK4 4RE |
0.86 miles |
|
Parrs Wood High School
Wilmslow Road, East Didsbury, Manchester, M20 5PG |
1.11 miles |
|
St Anne's RC Voluntary Academy
Glenfield Road, Heaton Chapel, Stockport, Cheshire, SK4 2QP |
1.2 miles |
|
Brinksway School
Yew Street, Stockport, SK4 2HG |
1.21 miles |
|
Levenshulme High School
Crossley Road, Levenshulme, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M19 1FS |
1.37 miles |
|
Stockport Academy
Heathbank Road, Cheadle Heath, Stockport, Cheshire, SK3 0UP |
1.4 miles |
|
Progress Schools - Stockport
Belgrave House, 211 Chestergate, Stockport, SK3 0AN |
1.43 miles |
|
Manchester Vocational and Learning Academy
19 Albert Road, Manchester, M19 2EQ |
1.81 miles |
|
Withington Girls' School
Wellington Road, Manchester, M14 6BL |
1.82 miles |
|
Penarth Group School
128 Reddish Road, South Reddish, Stockport, Cheshire, Cheshire, SK5 7JG |
1.92 miles |
|
Manchester Enterprise Academy Central
Lytham Road, Levenshulme, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M14 6PL |
1.97 miles |
|
Lancasterian School
Elizabeth Slinger Road, West Didsbury, Manchester, M20 2XA |
2.15 miles |
|
The Manchester Grammar School
Old Hall Lane, Manchester, M13 0XT |
2.21 miles |
|
Manchester High School for Girls
Grangethorpe Road, Manchester, M14 6HS |
2.24 miles |
|
Didsbury High School
4 the Avenue, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 2ET |
2.25 miles |
|
Reddish Vale High School
Reddish Vale Road, Reddish, Stockport, Cheshire, SK5 7HD |
2.33 miles |
|
Pear Tree Specialist Support High School
Worcester Road, Cheadle Hulme, Cheadle, Stockport, Greater Manchester, SK8 5NW |
2.34 miles |
All schools in Stockport · Stockport local authority: places and applications
Priestnall School is part of The Laurus Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:
- Norris Bank Primary School Stockport
- Didsbury High School Manchester
- Laurus Cheadle Hulme Cheadle
- Cheadle Hulme Primary School Stockport
- Cheadle Hulme High School Cheadle
- Hazel Grove Primary School Stockport
- Hazel Grove High School Stockport
- Crown Street Primary School Manchester
- Woodford Primary School Stockport
- Laurus Ryecroft Manchester
What is Priestnall School's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for Priestnall School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in October 2019 of its predecessor, Priestnall School.
When was Priestnall School last inspected by Ofsted?
Priestnall School was last inspected in September 2023.
How many pupils does Priestnall School have?
Priestnall School has 1,312 pupils on roll.
What age range does Priestnall School cover?
Priestnall School for pupils aged 11 to 16.
What are Priestnall School's GCSE results?
In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 55.8, and 68% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.
Where is Priestnall School?
Priestnall School is at Priestnall Road, Heaton Mersey, Stockport, Cheshire, SK4 3HP.