Saint Ambrose College
Hale Road, Hale Barns, Altrincham, WA15 0HE
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Boys
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- THE LAETARE CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Principal
- Dermot Rainey
- Admissions policy
- Selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Shrewsbury
- Constituency
- Altrincham and Sale West
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,050
- Pupils on roll
- 1,096
- URN
- 138134
- Local authority
- Trafford
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01619802711
About this school
Saint Ambrose College is a Roman Catholic boys' secondary academy in Altrincham. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,096 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Saint Ambrose College, 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
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Strong standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Strong standard
- Achievement
- Exceptional
- Attendance and behaviour
- Strong standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Exceptional
- Leadership and governance
- Strong standard
- Post-16 provision
- Strong standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 180 | 178 | 150 |
| Attainment 8 score | 72.8 | 73.7 | 76.2 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.90 +0.68 to +1.13 | +1.04 +0.82 to +1.27 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 95% | 96.6% | 98% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 100% | 99.4% | 100% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 51% | 47.2% | 77.3% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 6.6 | 6.6 | 7.1 |
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 Saint Ambrose College has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Trafford average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 72.8 | 50.2 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 73.7 | 51.4 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 76.2 | 51.2 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,082 |
| 2023/24 | 1,068 |
| 2024/25 | 1,091 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Saint Ambrose College compares
Saint Ambrose College ranked 3rd of 18 secondary schools in Trafford for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 99% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 76.2 | 4.1% | 8% | 1,096 | — |
| Altrincham College | 48.5 | 7.4% | 29.4% | 973 | 0.9 miles |
| Altrincham Grammar School for Boys | 78.5 | 4.5% | 5.7% | 1,432 | 1.4 miles |
| Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College | 48.9 | 7.8% | 14.8% | 1,638 | 1.5 miles |
| Dixons Newall Green Academy | — | 10.2% | 60.3% | 364 | 1.6 miles |
| Wellington School | 57.3 | 6.6% | 11.3% | 1,536 | 1.7 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.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 8.03%
- English as an additional language
- 8.9%
- Overall absence
- 4.08%
- Persistent absence
- 5.66%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Altrincham College0.9 miles
Secondary · Altrincham
-
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys1.4 miles
Secondary · Altrincham
-
Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College1.5 miles
Secondary · Altrincham
-
Dixons Newall Green Academy1.6 miles
Secondary · Manchester
-
Wellington School1.7 miles
Secondary · Altrincham
Other schools in Altrincham
Saint Ambrose College ranks 3rd of the 8 ranked secondary schools in Altrincham.
- Altrincham College Secondary
- Altrincham Grammar School for Boys Secondary
- Altrincham Grammar School for Girls Secondary
- Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College Secondary
- Loreto Grammar School Secondary
- North Cestrian School Secondary
- Wellington School Secondary
- Altrincham CofE (Aided) Primary School Primary
- Bollin Primary School Primary
- Bowdon CofE Primary School Primary
- Broadheath Primary School Primary
- Broomwood Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Saint Ambrose College teach?
- Saint Ambrose College teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Altrincham.
- Who is the principal of Saint Ambrose College?
- The principal of Saint Ambrose College is Dermot Rainey, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Saint Ambrose College been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Saint Ambrose College, 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 Saint Ambrose College?
- Saint Ambrose College has 1,096 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Saint Ambrose College full?
- Saint Ambrose College has capacity for 1,050 pupils and 1,096 on roll (104%), 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 Saint Ambrose College a faith school?
- Yes. Saint Ambrose College is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Shrewsbury.
- Is Saint Ambrose College a selective school?
- Yes. Saint Ambrose College is recorded as Selective in the schools register, so entry involves selection.
- Is Saint Ambrose College part of an academy trust?
- Saint Ambrose College is part of THE LAETARE CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Saint Ambrose College's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 72.8 in 2022/23 and 76.2 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Saint Ambrose College compare with other schools in Trafford?
- Saint Ambrose College ranked 3rd of 18 secondary schools in Trafford for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 99% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Saint Ambrose College's absence rate?
- Saint Ambrose College's overall absence rate is 4.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Saint Ambrose College's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Saint Ambrose College'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.