Chetham's School of Music
Long Millgate, Manchester, M3 1SB
- Phase
- Independent schools
- School type
- Other independent school
- Ages
- 8 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Head
- Miss Nicola Smith
- Admissions policy
- Selective
- Boarding
- Boarding school
- Constituency
- Manchester Central
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 355
- Pupils on roll
- 331
- URN
- 105588
- Local authority
- Manchester
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01618349644
About this school
Chetham's School of Music is an independent school in Manchester. It teaches children aged 8 to 19 and has 331 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has not yet inspected Chetham's School of Music under its current framework. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Chetham's School of Music has not been inspected by Ofsted yet. It opened in its current form in January 1953, and new or converted schools usually wait a few years for their first inspection.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 40 | 44 | 41 |
| Attainment 8 score | 39.4 | 39.4 | 42.5 |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.1 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Chetham's School of Music has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Manchester average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 39.4 | 42.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 39.4 | 44.5 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 42.5 | 43.5 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 330 |
| 2023/24 | 332 |
| 2024/25 | 334 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 0%
- Pupils with an EHC plan
- 3
- Pupils on SEN support
- 58
Location
Nearby schools
-
Digital Advantage0.2 miles
Other types · Manchester
-
The Cooperative College0.2 miles
Other types · Manchester
-
Abbey College Manchester0.3 miles
Independent schools
-
Angel Meadow School0.9 miles
Special schools · Salford
-
The Manchester Metropolitan University1.1 miles
Universities · Manchester
Common questions
- What ages does Chetham's School of Music teach?
- Chetham's School of Music teaches children aged 8 to 19. It is an independent school in Manchester.
- Who is the head of Chetham's School of Music?
- The head of Chetham's School of Music is Miss Nicola Smith, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Chetham's School of Music been inspected?
- Ofsted has not inspected Chetham's School of Music under its current framework, so no current judgement is shown. That is common for newer schools and is not a mark against a school.
- How many pupils are at Chetham's School of Music?
- Chetham's School of Music has 331 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 8 to 19.
- Is Chetham's School of Music full?
- Chetham's School of Music has capacity for 355 pupils and 331 on roll (93%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Chetham's School of Music a faith school?
- No. Chetham's School of Music has no designated religious character.
- Is Chetham's School of Music a selective school?
- Yes. Chetham's School of Music is recorded as Selective in the schools register, so entry involves selection.
- How have Chetham's School of Music's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 39.4 in 2022/23 and 42.5 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What are Chetham's School of Music's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Chetham's School of Music's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 24 July 2026.