Secondary
Our Lady's RC High School
Alworth Road, Higher Blackley, Manchester, M9 0RP
Key facts
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Intake
- Mixed
- Pupils
- 1046 of 1050 places
- Pupils per teacher
- 14.1
- Local authority
- Manchester
- Religious character
- Yes
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salford
Staffing23/24
- Teachers (FTE)
- 70.8
- All staff (FTE)
- 99.6
- Pupils per adult
- 10.0
- Pupils
- 999
Staff are counted as full-time equivalents in the November school workforce census, so the pupil figure here is that census’s own and will differ a little from the roll above, which is counted in January.
Ofsted
Last inspected November 2025
- AchievementStrong standard
- Attendance and behaviourStrong standard
- Curriculum and teachingStrong standard
- InclusionStrong standard
- Leadership and governanceStrong standard
- Personal development and wellbeingStrong standard
SafeguardingMet
Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)Earlier inspections2
November 2021
Ungraded inspection
Good
Read the report (opens in a new tab)January 2017
Previous framework
Good
- Leadership and governanceGood
GCSE results
46%
2 points above the Manchester average (44% across 60 schools)
49.1
2.3 above the Manchester average (46.8 across 60 schools)
18th of 60 by our score, among the secondary schools in Manchester we can score - 78 in total, the rest without enough published data. Local and same-phase on purpose: a national table mostly measures who attends.
All published measures2024/2025
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 | 49.1 |
| EBacc average point score | 4.33 |
| Entered the EBacc | 41% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 67% |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 46% |
From the Department for Education. Measures are published per year and suppressed where a cohort is too small, so some schools show fewer. There are no results for 2019/20 or 2020/21, when exams and assessments were cancelled.
Results over time4 years
Each measure on its own scale, over every year we hold.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 21/22 | 39% |
| 22/23 | 45% |
| 23/24 | 46% |
| 24/25 | 46% |
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 21/22 | +0.07 |
| 22/23 | +0.35 |
| 23/24 | +0.33 |
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 21/22 | 47.8 |
| 22/23 | 49.9 |
| 23/24 | 48.6 |
| 24/25 | 49.1 |
Alworth Road, Higher Blackley, Manchester, M9 0RP
Admissions
How to apply (opens in a new tab)
You apply through your council, not the school - even for academies and free schools. Applications close on 31 October, the year before starting.
Manchester admissions (opens in a new tab)
The council publishes the oversubscription criteria and last year’s offer distances, which is the closest thing to knowing your chances.
If you are refused a place (opens in a new tab)
You can appeal, and you can join a waiting list at the same time. Accept whatever offer you get first - declining it can leave you with no place at all.
This school’s own admissions (opens in a new tab)
Schools that set their own criteria - faith schools, grammars, academies - publish them on their own site.
Contact
- Headteacher
- Lee Ormsby
- Address
- Alworth Road, Higher Blackley, Manchester, M9 0RP
- Telephone
- 01615079640