Loreto High School Chorlton
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Loreto High School Chorlton is a Roman Catholic school (voluntary aided) in Manchester for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 742 pupils and room for 750. About 58 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 24 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 42% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was requires improvement, back in 2024.
Nell Lane, Chorlton-Cum-Hardy, Manchester, M21 7SW0161 881 9448loretochorlton.co.ukMiss Tina Wilkinson acting headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 15 May 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Requires improvement overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
149 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 | Manchester | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 149 | 138 | 147 | 141 | 144 | 140 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 46.6 | 46.2 | 42.1 | 47.5 | 42.4 | 45.2 | 46.8 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.07 | -0.72 | -0.38 | -0.14 | -0.09 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 48% | 43% | 35% | 50% | 41% | 39% | 44% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 70% | 68% | 59% | 70% | 64% | 54% | 64% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 4.08 | 4.09 | 3.55 | 4.17 | 3.64 | 3.78 | 4.19 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 30% | 36% | 20% | 30% | 35% | 28% | 49% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 43.8 | 38.4 | 36.8 | 41.0 | 38.1 | 39.4 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 50.1 | 55.5 | 49.6 | 55.0 | 45.2 | 49.9 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 29.0 | 26.9 | 30.3 | 26.0 | 23.4 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 63.6 | 61.6 | 62.3 | 55.3 | 61.9 | – | – |
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: Food Preparation & Nutrition (26% here, 52% across England), English Language (42% here, 54% across England), History (42% 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 | 149 | 19% | 57% | 78% | 53% | 1,129 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 149 | 5% | 42% | 61% | 54% | 2,448 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 144 | 12% | 61% | 79% | 58% | 1,186 of 3,202 |
| Religious Studies | 140 | 27% | 62% | 71% | 60% | 916 of 1,825 |
| Combined Science | 124 | 6% | 40% | 60% | 36% | 1,080 of 3,084 |
| History | 65 | 15% | 42% | 66% | 52% | 2,146 of 3,126 |
| Geography | 59 | 17% | 53% | 75% | 51% | 1,226 of 3,116 |
| French | 48 | 23% | 58% | 75% | 60% | 1,141 of 1,974 |
| Art and Design | 34 | 29% | 68% | 79% | 58% | 976 of 2,818 |
| Chemistry | 21 | 62% | 100% | 100% | 81% | 301 of 2,537 |
| Biology | 21 | 48% | 100% | 100% | 82% | 301 of 2,570 |
| Physics | 21 | 52% | 100% | 100% | 82% | 333 of 2,546 |
| Computer Science | 20 | 25% | 60% | 85% | 56% | 763 of 1,861 |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 19 | 11% | 26% | 47% | 52% | – |
| Other Modern Languages | 16 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 49% | – |
| Drama | 11 | 0% | 27% | 46% | 60% | – |
| Music | 7 | 14% | 57% | 71% | 61% | – |
| Spanish | 6 | 33% | 67% | 83% | 54% | – |
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. 2 of the 3 gaps are 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. As a Roman Catholic school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.
The school is full, with 9 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have grown by 3% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.
How places were given out for September 2026.
| Entry | Places | Got a place | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Secondary | 160 | 160 | – | LA |
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 (56), language and communications needs (50), Moderate learning difficulty (34), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (8), Autistic spectrum disorder (5), Specific learning difficulty (5).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 742 | 766 | 764 | 760 | 722 | 713 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 58% | 55% | 49% | 46% | 43% | 38% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 35% | 36% | 40% | 40% | 38% | 33% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 18% | 16% | 16% | 19% | 19% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 4% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.8% 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 | 9.3% | 8.9% | 9.5% | 9.0% | 5.9% | 5.7% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.3% | 4.2% | 3.7% | 4.6% | 3.2% | 3.4% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 4.9% | 4.7% | 5.8% | 4.5% | 2.7% | 2.3% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 28.6% | 29.3% | 29.9% | 29.6% | 16.0% | 14.9% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 41.3 | 39.0 | 12.2 | 4.6 | 23.4 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 147 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 83%, compared with 93% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 87% | 88% | 85% | 85% |
| Education | 82% | 87% | 81% | 83% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 0% | 1% | 1% |
| Work | 3% | 1% | 2% | 1% |
| Not in education, work or training | 7% | 8% | 8% | 12% |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the council school accounts, year to March 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chorlton High School | Academy | 370 m | 1,532 | Report card 2025 | 81 | Compare |
| CHS South | Free school | 450 m | 1,177 | Good 2023 | 59 | Compare |
| Didsbury High School | Free school | 880 m | 1,220 | Outstanding 2024 | 84 | Compare |
| Whalley Range 11-18 High School | Academy | 0.9 miles | 1,712 | Good 2022 | 82 | Compare |
| William Hulme's Grammar School | Academy | 1.0 miles | 1,542 | Not inspected | 82 | Compare |
| Stretford Grammar School | Foundation (grammar) | 1.7 miles | 956 | Good 2024 | 96 | Compare |
| Manchester Academy | Academy | 2.0 miles | 1,025 | Good 2022 | 67 | Compare |
| Stretford High School | Foundation | 2.1 miles | 1,000 | Good 2019 | 50 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Loreto High School Chorlton with the 50 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 50 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 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Loreto High School Chorlton, 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHS South | Free school | 450 m | 1,177 | Good 2023 | 59 | Compare |
| Stretford High School | Foundation | 2.1 miles | 1,000 | Good 2019 | 50 | Compare |
| The Lowry Academy | Academy | 8.7 miles | 884 | Good 2024 | 51 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 24 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 24% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 18 to 33. 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% | in line | -0.04 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 149 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | well below | -0.43 | Ofsted grade, 2.3 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | in line | -0.05 | DfE progress measure; 149 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | above | +0.04 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | below | -0.05 | 2024/25; 807 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | well above | +0.13 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 149 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | below | -0.05 | 147 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 Loreto High School Chorlton a good school?
The figures are weak. Loreto High School Chorlton scores 24 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 42% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 18 to 33, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Loreto High School Chorlton's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Loreto High School Chorlton requires improvement at its last full inspection on 15 May 2024.
How good are Loreto High School Chorlton's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 48% 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 46.6, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about level with children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Loreto High School Chorlton have?
742 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 750 places, so it is 99% full.
Is Loreto High School Chorlton oversubscribed?
Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 9 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.
What is attendance like at Loreto High School Chorlton?
Pupils were in school 90.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 29% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Loreto High School Chorlton?
The average class had 21.4 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. No class had more than 30 pupils.
Does Loreto High School Chorlton have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 87% 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
- Nell Lane, Chorlton-Cum-Hardy, Manchester, M21 7SW
- Telephone
- 0161 881 9448
- Website
- www.loretochorlton.co.uk
- Acting Headteacher
- Miss Tina Wilkinson
- Type of school
- Roman Catholic school (voluntary aided) (Voluntary aided school, local authority maintained schools)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic, Diocese of Salford
- Local authority
- Manchester
- Ward
- Chorlton Park
- Constituency
- Manchester Withington
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 105574 · LAESTAB 3524753 · UKPRN 10017654
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, consistent financial reporting 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Manchester council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2026.
- 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.