Fairfield High School for Girls
Fairfield Avenue, Droylsden, Manchester, M43 6AB
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Girls
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- STAMFORD PARK TRUST
- Headteacher
- Miss Fiona Lealman
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Stamford Park Trust
- Constituency
- Ashton-under-Lyne
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 975
- Pupils on roll
- 986
- URN
- 136593
- Local authority
- Tameside
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01613701488
About this school
Fairfield High School for Girls is a girls' secondary academy in Manchester. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 986 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- 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 | 190 | 191 | 196 |
| Attainment 8 score | 56.7 | 55.3 | 52.7 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.66 +0.46 to +0.87 | +0.55 +0.34 to +0.76 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 64% | 65.4% | 58.2% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 79% | 79.6% | 78.6% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 64% | 66% | 60.7% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 5.1 | 5.0 | 4.8 |
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 Fairfield High School for Girls has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Tameside average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 56.7 | 42.2 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 55.3 | 39.7 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 52.7 | 38.4 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 983 |
| 2023/24 | 988 |
| 2024/25 | 991 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Fairfield High School for Girls compares
Fairfield High School for Girls ranked 2nd of 13 secondary schools in Tameside for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 83% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 11% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 52.7 | 9.1% | 36.1% | 986 | — |
| Droylsden Academy | 47.7 | 9.4% | 40.5% | 926 | 0.6 miles |
| Wright Robinson College | 49.1 | 4.7% | 53.7% | 1,781 | 0.6 miles |
| Laurus Ryecroft | 51.6 | 7.3% | 35.3% | 1,153 | 1.4 miles |
| Audenshaw School | 45.5 | 5.5% | 33.4% | 1,077 | 1.4 miles |
| Denton Community Academy | — | 15.8% | 42% | 1,107 | 1.6 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)
- 36.13%
- English as an additional language
- 23.5%
- Overall absence
- 9.11%
- Persistent absence
- 22.38%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Droylsden Academy0.6 miles
Secondary · Manchester
-
Wright Robinson College0.6 miles
Secondary · Manchester
-
Laurus Ryecroft1.4 miles
Secondary · Manchester
-
Audenshaw School1.4 miles
Secondary · Manchester
-
Denton Community Academy1.6 miles
Secondary · Manchester
Other schools in Manchester
Fairfield High School for Girls ranks 9th 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
Common questions
- What year groups does Fairfield High School for Girls teach?
- Fairfield High School for Girls teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Manchester.
- Who is the headteacher of Fairfield High School for Girls?
- The headteacher of Fairfield High School for Girls is Miss Fiona Lealman, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Fairfield High School for Girls last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Fairfield High School for Girls, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Fairfield High School for Girls?
- Fairfield High School for Girls has 986 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Fairfield High School for Girls full?
- Fairfield High School for Girls has capacity for 975 pupils and 986 on roll (101%), 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 Fairfield High School for Girls a faith school?
- No. Fairfield High School for Girls has no designated religious character.
- Is Fairfield High School for Girls a selective school?
- No. Fairfield High School for Girls is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs Fairfield High School for Girls?
- Fairfield High School for Girls is part of STAMFORD PARK TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Fairfield High School for Girls's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 56.7 in 2022/23 and 52.7 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Fairfield High School for Girls rank locally?
- Fairfield High School for Girls ranked 2nd of 13 secondary schools in Tameside for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 83% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 11% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Fairfield High School for Girls's absence rate?
- Fairfield High School for Girls's overall absence rate is 9.1% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Fairfield High School for Girls's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Fairfield High School for Girls'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 1 July 2026.