Philips High School

School overview

Philips High School is a secondary school serving Manchester, Bury, classified by the DfE as a converter academy. It has 872 pupils aged 11 to 16 on roll. At its most recent graded inspection, Ofsted rated Philips High School 'Requires improvement'. The school's average Attainment 8 score in the latest GCSE results was 50.3 — above the national average (national average: 46). Its Attainment 8 score has risen by 2.9 points year on year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the top 28% of secondary schools nationally.

55% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, above the national average of about 45%. 73% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Getting a place is straightforward: for the September 2026 intake every family who made Philips High School their first choice was offered one of its 180 Year 7 places. In 2026 the furthest child offered a place lived 4.38 miles from the school in a straight line, according to the council's published allocation figures; the distance changes every year with demand. After Year 11, 93% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. There are about 17.7 pupils per teacher. The school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage: about 39% of pupils have been eligible for free school meals in the last six years, compared with roughly 24% nationally — useful context when reading the results above. If you are considering Philips High School, it may be worth asking how leaders have responded to Ofsted's findings and what has changed since the inspection. 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.