St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School
37 Ash Drive, Wardley, Manchester, M27 9QP
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mr Ben Davis
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salford
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Constituency
- Worsley and Eccles
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,050
- Pupils on roll
- 1,078
- URN
- 105989
- Local authority
- Salford
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01619211570
About this school
St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided secondary school in Manchester. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 1,078 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School, and its latest judgement is set out below. 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 210 | 207 | 205 |
| Attainment 8 score | 44.4 | 45.8 | 44.2 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.38 -0.57 to -0.18 | -0.23 -0.43 to -0.04 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 43% | 43.5% | 38% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 63% | 63.8% | 66.8% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 16% | 32.9% | 31.7% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.7 | 4.0 | 3.9 |
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 St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Salford average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 44.4 | 32.5 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 45.8 | 33.5 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 44.2 | 33.8 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,082 |
| 2023/24 | 1,083 |
| 2024/25 | 1,068 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School compares
St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School ranked 9th of 15 secondary schools in Salford for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 53% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 18% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 44.2 | 7.7% | 28.7% | 1,078 | — |
| Co-op Academy Swinton | 44.6 | 9.9% | 41% | 931 | 0.8 miles |
| Moorside High School | 41.8 | 9.2% | 29.9% | 1,129 | 0.9 miles |
| Co-op Academy Walkden | 43.6 | 9.4% | 29.8% | 1,414 | 1.2 miles |
| Kearsley Academy | 51.8 | 9.6% | 42.7% | 768 | 1.7 miles |
| Ellesmere Park High School | 45.8 | 8% | 29.2% | 818 | 2.1 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 28.65%
- English as an additional language
- 19.5%
- Overall absence
- 7.7%
- Persistent absence
- 20.43%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Co-op Academy Swinton0.8 miles
Secondary · Manchester
-
Moorside High School0.9 miles
Secondary · Manchester
-
Co-op Academy Walkden1.2 miles
Secondary · Manchester
-
Kearsley Academy1.7 miles
Secondary · Bolton
-
Ellesmere Park High School2.1 miles
Secondary · Manchester
Other schools in Manchester
St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School ranks 39th of the 59 ranked secondary schools in Manchester.
- Audenshaw School Secondary
- Broadoak School Secondary
- Burnage Academy for Boys Secondary
- Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School Secondary
- Chorlton High School Secondary
- CHS South Secondary
- Co-op Academy Belle Vue Secondary
- Co-op Academy Failsworth Secondary
- Co-op Academy Manchester Secondary
- Co-op Academy North Manchester Secondary
- Co-op Academy Swinton Secondary
- Co-op Academy Walkden Secondary
Recorded changes at this school
- School name changed from St Ambrose Barlow RC High School to St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School recorded 16 Sep 2026
Common questions
- What ages does St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School teach?
- St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Manchester.
- Who is the headteacher of St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School?
- The headteacher of St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School is Mr Ben Davis, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School?
- St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School has 1,078 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School full?
- St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School has capacity for 1,050 pupils and 1,078 on roll (103%), so it is at or above 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 St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School a faith school?
- Yes. St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Salford.
- Is St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School a selective school?
- No. St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- What SEN provision does St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School have?
- The schools register lists St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 44.4 in 2022/23 and 44.2 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School compare with other schools in Salford?
- St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School ranked 9th of 15 secondary schools in Salford for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 53% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 18% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School's absence rate?
- St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School's overall absence rate is 7.7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School'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 16 September 2026.