Priestnall School
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Priestnall School is a converter academy in Stockport for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 1,312 pupils, 37 more than it has places for. About 14 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 58 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 8% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was requires improvement, back in 2019.
Priestnall Road, Heaton Mersey, Stockport, SK4 3HP0161 549 7300priestnallschool.org.ukMiss Rachel Howarth headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 29 October 2019, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Requires improvement overall.
This inspection is more than 6 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
247 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† | Stockport | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 247 | 250 | 251 | 246 | 244 | 253 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 52.6 | 56.8 | 50.7 | 57.3 | 51.7 | 54.7 | 47.3 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | +0.40 | -0.09 | +0.23 | +0.06 | +0.27 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 57% | 64% | 57% | 60% | 56% | 59% | 47% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 79% | 82% | 75% | 86% | 74% | 80% | 66% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 4.59 | 4.89 | 4.54 | 5.07 | 4.74 | 4.56 | 4.23 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 24% | 11% | 32% | 30% | 56% | 13% | 46% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 35.8 | 41.3 | 33.0 | 43.3 | 38.5 | 36.0 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 55.7 | 59.0 | 54.6 | 60.0 | 53.9 | 57.3 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 32.2 | 30.0 | 33.2 | 30.0 | 28.9 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 70.0 | 64.9 | 71.7 | 62.3 | 64.4 | – | – |
† These results are for Priestnall School, the school this one replaced in September 2023. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Subjects
Results came out for 22 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
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 | 244 | 32% | 66% | 86% | 53% | 575 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 244 | 27% | 59% | 75% | 54% | 1,069 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 237 | 24% | 68% | 83% | 58% | 743 of 3,202 |
| History | 162 | 29% | 60% | 70% | 52% | 919 of 3,126 |
| Combined Science | 149 | 12% | 46% | 69% | 36% | 742 of 3,084 |
| Art and Design | 117 | 47% | 88% | 94% | 58% | 252 of 2,818 |
| Business | 113 | 15% | 52% | 73% | 51% | 761 of 1,806 |
| Biology | 90 | 60% | 89% | 94% | 82% | 1,186 of 2,570 |
| Physics | 90 | 58% | 81% | 91% | 82% | 1,568 of 2,546 |
| Chemistry | 89 | 55% | 88% | 91% | 81% | 1,222 of 2,537 |
| Geography | 72 | 35% | 65% | 75% | 51% | 608 of 3,116 |
| Social Studies | 48 | 25% | 60% | 69% | 54% | 402 of 1,043 |
| Physical Education | 46 | 28% | 70% | 78% | 56% | 454 of 1,559 |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 39 | 10% | 44% | 56% | 52% | 689 of 1,098 |
| Spanish | 30 | 77% | 93% | 100% | 54% | 49 of 1,941 |
| French | 24 | 79% | 96% | 100% | 60% | 72 of 1,974 |
| Film Studies | 21 | 33% | 81% | 81% | 52% | 10 of 122 |
| Dance | 14 | 21% | 64% | 64% | 58% | – |
| Religious Studies | 12 | 8% | 33% | 67% | 60% | – |
| Computer Science | 11 | 27% | 82% | 91% | 56% | – |
| Drama | 10 | 10% | 60% | 70% | 60% | – |
| Music | 10 | 40% | 90% | 90% | 61% | – |
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. None of the gaps 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.
The school is full, with 22 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.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Stockport council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
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.
Specialist SEND provision. Resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) with 30 pupils, for pupils with special educational needs.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (133), Specific learning difficulty (49), Moderate learning difficulty (48), language and communications needs (44), Autistic spectrum disorder (39), Other difficulty or disability (7).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 1,312 | 1,285 | 1,272 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 14% | 14% | 12% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 12% | 13% | 10% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 18% | 16% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 5% | 5% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.5% 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 | 8.5% | 8.3% | 8.2% | 7.9% | 5.5% | 6.0% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 7.1% | 7.0% | 7.4% | 7.2% | 3.8% | 4.8% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.4% | 1.2% | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.7% | 1.2% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 20.9% | 21.4% | 22.3% | 23.5% | 12.2% | 15.0% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 13.9 | 17.5 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – |
† These attendance figures are for Priestnall School, the school this one replaced in September 2023. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 251 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 80%, compared with 96% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers |
|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 93% | 97% |
| Education | 86% | 92% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 5% |
| Work | 2% | 0% |
| Not in education, work or training | 5% | 2% |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burnage Academy for Boys | Academy | 0.7 miles | 1,021 | Outstanding 2024 | 87 | Compare |
| The Barlow RC High School | Roman Catholic | 0.9 miles | 930 | Good 2024 | 68 | Compare |
| Parrs Wood High School | Academy | 1.1 miles | 1,786 | Not inspected | 46 | Compare |
| St Anne's RC Voluntary Academy | Academy | 1.2 miles | 666 | Good 2023 | 32 | Compare |
| Levenshulme High School | Academy | 1.4 miles | 1,057 | Outstanding 2022 | 93 | Compare |
| Stockport Academy | Academy | 1.4 miles | 1,023 | No overall grade 2025 | 56 | Compare |
| Manchester Enterprise Academy Central | Free school | 2.0 miles | 1,049 | Good 2022 | 62 | Compare |
| Didsbury High School | Free school | 2.3 miles | 1,220 | Outstanding 2024 | 84 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Priestnall School 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 Priestnall School, 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poynton High School | Academy | 6.3 miles | 1,467 | Good 2023 | 71 | Compare |
| Knutsford Academy | Academy | 11.0 miles | 1,429 | Report card 2026 | 76 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 58 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 58% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 50 to 65. 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 | +0.21 | 2025 and 2024 results; 247 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 11% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | well below | -0.28 | Ofsted grade, 6.9 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | above | +0.21 | DfE progress measure; 247 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 0% | no data | – | |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | +0.03 | 2024/25; 1,319 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | below | -0.09 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 247 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | above | +0.03 | 251 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 Priestnall School a good school?
It is about average. Priestnall School scores 58 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 8% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 50 to 65, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Priestnall School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Priestnall School requires improvement at its last full inspection on 29 October 2019. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.
How good are Priestnall School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 57% 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 52.6, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about half a grade ahead of children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Priestnall School have?
1,312 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,275 places, so it is 103% full.
Is Priestnall School oversubscribed?
Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 22 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.
What is attendance like at Priestnall School?
Pupils were in school 91.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 21% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Priestnall School?
The average class had 25.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 14% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Priestnall School have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 93% 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
- Priestnall Road, Heaton Mersey, Stockport, SK4 3HP
- Telephone
- 0161 549 7300
- Website
- www.priestnallschool.org.uk
- Headteacher
- Miss Rachel Howarth
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- The Laurus Trust (13 schools)
- Local authority
- Stockport
- Ward
- Heatons North
- Constituency
- Stockport
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2023 (academy converter)
- URN
- 149936 · LAESTAB 3564032 · UKPRN 10092900
- Formerly
- Priestnall School
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.
- 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.