Fairfield High School for Girls
similar schools
Fairfield High School for Girls is a converter academy in Manchester for girls aged 11 to 16. It has 986 pupils, 11 more than it has places for. About 38 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 79 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 45% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.
Fairfield Avenue, Droylsden, Manchester, M43 6AB0161 370 1488fairfieldhighschool.co.ukMiss Fiona Lealman headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 6 December 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
196 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | Tameside | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 196 | 191 | 190 | 193 | 186 | 193 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 52.7 | 55.3 | 56.7 | 56.8 | 53.2 | 54.3 | 44.2 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | +0.55 | +0.66 | +0.59 | +0.41 | +0.54 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 58% | 65% | 64% | 66% | 58% | 56% | 40% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 79% | 80% | 79% | 83% | 78% | 78% | 62% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 4.84 | 5.03 | 5.13 | 5.07 | 4.70 | 4.74 | 3.85 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 61% | 66% | 64% | 56% | 43% | 55% | 37% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 50.5 | 48.3 | 47.1 | 50.5 | 51.4 | 47.8 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 53.5 | 57.3 | 59.6 | 59.2 | 53.6 | 56.0 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 37.2 | 35.3 | 39.2 | 29.6 | 32.2 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 69.3 | 71.6 | 72.3 | 62.2 | 64.7 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 18 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Strongest subjects
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Physical Education (41% here, 56% across England), Food Preparation & Nutrition (40% here, 52% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 196 | 21% | 61% | 82% | 53% | 897 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 196 | 26% | 65% | 80% | 54% | 692 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 191 | 35% | 78% | 90% | 58% | 338 of 3,202 |
| Combined Science | 165 | 12% | 50% | 66% | 36% | 580 of 3,084 |
| Geography | 104 | 30% | 62% | 78% | 51% | 763 of 3,116 |
| History | 84 | 38% | 67% | 74% | 52% | 611 of 3,126 |
| Religious Studies | 65 | 49% | 72% | 89% | 60% | 561 of 1,825 |
| French | 63 | 33% | 67% | 79% | 60% | 829 of 1,974 |
| German | 55 | 20% | 56% | 80% | 63% | 363 of 571 |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 47 | 15% | 40% | 62% | 52% | 757 of 1,098 |
| Art and Design | 47 | 23% | 57% | 79% | 58% | 1,485 of 2,818 |
| Chemistry | 29 | 59% | 90% | 100% | 81% | 1,115 of 2,537 |
| Biology | 29 | 52% | 93% | 100% | 82% | 908 of 2,570 |
| Physics | 29 | 52% | 93% | 100% | 82% | 915 of 2,546 |
| Physical Education | 27 | 11% | 41% | 56% | 56% | 1,159 of 1,559 |
| Computer Science | 21 | 48% | 81% | 81% | 56% | 267 of 1,861 |
| Drama | 20 | 20% | 65% | 90% | 60% | 402 of 844 |
| Other Modern Languages | 10 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 49% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Open to all. There is no entrance test.
About 149 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.
The last child to get a place lived 5.9 miles away in 2026, 0.7 miles away in 2025, 0.9 miles away in 2024. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2026. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 5.9 miles from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.
| Entry | Places | Applied at all | Got a place | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Secondary | 199 | 386 | 199 | 5.9 miles | LA |
| 2025 Secondary | 199 | – | 200 | 0.7 miles | LA |
| 2024 Secondary | 199 | – | 199 | 0.9 miles | LA |
| 2023 Secondary | 199 | – | 199 | 1.4 miles | LA |
| 2022 Secondary | 199 | – | 199 | 3.5 miles | LA |
| 2020 Secondary | 195 | – | 197 | 1.8 miles | LA |
The distances are the council's own, usually measured in a straight line from home to the school gate. If the distance is getting shorter each year, the school is getting harder to get into. See which councils we have this data for.
What a home within 0.8 miles of the school costs
Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (33), Moderate learning difficulty (23), language and communications needs (17), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (11), Hearing impairment (10), Other difficulty or disability (10).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 986 | 991 | 988 | 983 | 974 | 981 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 38% | 33% | 27% | 23% | 18% | 16% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 25% | 24% | 23% | 21% | 18% | 16% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 9% | 7% | 8% | 9% | 9% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 9.1% | 8.6% | 8.3% | 8.9% | 5.2% | 5.0% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 5.4% | 5.2% | 4.7% | 6.3% | 3.5% | 3.3% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 3.8% | 3.4% | 3.6% | 2.6% | 1.7% | 1.8% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 22.4% | 25.3% | 23.5% | 25.2% | 15.4% | 12.6% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 12.2 | 7.0 | 4.5 | 1.9 | 3.4 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 190 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 93%, compared with 97% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 96% | 93% | 96% | 95% |
| Education | 93% | 86% | 89% | 90% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 4% | 2% | 4% |
| Work | 2% | 4% | 5% | 2% |
| Not in education, work or training | 3% | 6% | 3% | 4% |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Droylsden Academy | Academy | 890 m | 926 | Good 2022 | 55 | Compare |
| Wright Robinson College | Academy | 960 m | 1,781 | Report card 2026 | 82 | Compare |
| Laurus Ryecroft | Free school | 1.4 miles | 1,153 | Outstanding 2023 | 88 | Compare |
| Audenshaw School | Academy | 1.5 miles | 1,077 | Good 2023 | 65 | Compare |
| Denton Community Academy | Academy | 1.6 miles | 1,107 | Inadequate 2022 | 0 | Compare |
| Co-op Academy Belle Vue | Free school | 1.7 miles | 946 | Outstanding 2024 | 99 | Compare |
| The East Manchester Academy | Academy | 1.8 miles | 1,035 | No overall grade 2025 | 45 | Compare |
| Cedar Mount Academy | Academy | 2.0 miles | 724 | Report card 2026 | 11 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Fairfield High School for Girls with the 49 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 49 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Fairfield High School for Girls, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester | Free school | 3.6 miles | 659 | Report card 2026 | 98 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 79 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 79% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 72 to 83. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | above | +0.16 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 196 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 3.8 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | well above | +0.22 | DfE progress measure; 196 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | below | -0.04 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | +0.01 | 2024/25; 1,010 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | above | +0.10 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 196 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | above | +0.04 | 190 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is Fairfield High School for Girls a good school?
Yes, going by the figures. Fairfield High School for Girls scores 79 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 45% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 72 to 83, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Fairfield High School for Girls's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Fairfield High School for Girls good at its last full inspection on 6 December 2022.
How good are Fairfield High School for Girls's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 58% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 52.7, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished most of a grade ahead of children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Fairfield High School for Girls have?
986 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 975 places, so it is 101% full. It is a girls' school.
Is Fairfield High School for Girls oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?
Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 5.9 miles away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.
What is attendance like at Fairfield High School for Girls?
Pupils were in school 90.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 22% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Fairfield High School for Girls?
The average class had 22.4 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. No class had more than 30 pupils.
Does Fairfield High School for Girls have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 96% of 2022/23 leavers were still in education, work or training six months on.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Fairfield Avenue, Droylsden, Manchester, M43 6AB
- Telephone
- 0161 370 1488
- Website
- www.fairfieldhighschool.co.uk
- Headteacher
- Miss Fiona Lealman
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Girls
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- Stamford Park Trust (4 schools)
- Local authority
- Tameside
- Ward
- Droylsden East
- Constituency
- Ashton-under-Lyne
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 April 2011 (academy converter)
- URN
- 136593 · LAESTAB 3575402 · UKPRN 10033243
- Formerly
- Fairfield High School for Girls
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Tameside council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.
- House prices: HM Land Registry price paid data, December 2023 to December 2025, placed by postcode.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.