Saint Ambrose College

Academy converter·Secondary school Altrincham, Trafford·WA15 0HE
Composite score
95.2
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#44
National rank
#4
In North West
#3
In Trafford
Top 1%
Nationally

Performance (KS4 GCSE)

Attainment 8 score
76.2
National avg ≈ 46
Progress 8 score
—
% achieving 9–5 in English & Maths
98%
% achieving 9–4 in English & Maths
100%
% EBacc grade 5+
65%
EBacc average points score
7.10

Ofsted judgements

New framework · Last inspection: 25/11/2025 · Read full report ↗

Achievement
Exceptional
Leadership and governance
Strong standard
Curriculum and teaching
Strong standard
Attendance and behaviour
Strong standard
Personal development and wellbeing
Exceptional
Inclusion
Strong standard
Safeguarding standards
Met
Post-16 provision
Strong standard

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first
61%
223 first choices, 149 places
First choices per place
1.50
more first choices than places
Applications naming the school
458
any preference, for 149 places
Applications from another council area
34%
First preferences per place, last five years▲ 0.13
00.511.52
1 per place
1.2820221.4620231.4420241.3720251.502026

Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this

We do not have a checked cut-off distance for Saint Ambrose College yet. Trafford does publish allocation figures and we are working through them council by council — we only show a distance once we have found it in the council’s own document.

Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).

School profile

Age range
11–18
Pupils on roll
1,091
Gender
Boys
Religious character
Roman Catholic
Admissions
Selective

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6
8.0%
Typical secondary: 27.5%
% EAL
8.9%
Typical secondary: 12.0%

Special educational needs

% SEN support
2.6%
Typical secondary: 13.7%
% with an EHC plan
0.5%
Typical secondary: 2.9%

Attendance

Overall absence
4.4%
Typical secondary: 8.9%
Persistently absent
6.4%
Typical secondary: 25.7%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher
18.3
Typical secondary: 16.7
Spend per pupil
£5,755
Typical secondary: £7,815

“Typical” = the median secondary school in England. What this means

What pupils do next

The share of this school's Year 11 leavers in education, training or employment for at least two terms afterwards.

In education, training or work
100%
180 pupils tracked
Stayed in education
99%
Apprenticeship
0%
Employment
1%

DfE, KS4 destination measures.

Nearby secondary schools

Location

About Saint Ambrose College

Saint Ambrose College is a boys' secondary school in Altrincham, Trafford, classified by the DfE as a converter academy with a Roman Catholic religious character. Around 1,091 pupils aged 11 to 18 attend the school. The school holds a 'Good' judgement from Ofsted (November 2025). In the most recent GCSE results, pupils achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 76.2, well above the national average of 46. That marks an improvement of 2.5 points in its Attainment 8 score on the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it among the top 1% of secondary schools in England.

98% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, well above the national average of about 45%. 100% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Competition for places is real here - 61% of first-choice applicants were offered a Year 7 place for September 2026 (223 first choices for 149 places). After Year 11, 100% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 4.4%. There are about 18.3 pupils per teacher. Its intake is relatively advantaged, with around 8% of pupils eligible for free school meals in the last six years versus about 24% nationally. When comparing schools, it is still worth visiting in person to see whether the atmosphere and approach suit your child. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.

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