Co-Ed secondary schools in Manchester

[Veebee89]

Hello,

We’re moving to Manchester. We looked at Altrincham, Hale, Didsbury and Chorlton. As we’re moving from London I prefer the “vibe” of Chorlton which feels similar to where we live now (East Dulwich) and we’ve just viewed our dream house there and are considering making an offer but I’m concerned about secondary schools.

We have a son and a daughter and if we were in Altrincham/Hale we would have used the grammar schools even though they’re single sex because they’re so highly rated nationally.

In Chorlton we could send our DD (who will start secondary Sept 2025) to Withington Girl’s but I’m struggling with good independent schools for our DS (who will start Sept 2026). Our preference would be to send them both to the same school.

Are there any genuinely excellent co-ed schools within a reasonable distance? If not, what are the best boys schools if we send our DD to Withington Girls?

We have no religious affiliation and both our children are academic.

Chorlton High?
Stretford Grammar?

I mean if you are determined to pay out for private despite excellent local mainstream schools you might be looking at Manchester Grammar for DS?

What makes you say those two schools are excellent? From what I could gather they seem average at best from their results and ofsted.

I did look at Manchester grammar which seems to be the only option for boys but I was hoping for something co-Ed.

Because of personal experience?

No comprehensive school is going to rival the results of Withington Girls because they don't select an intake of the top 5 to 10 percent. But both schools are good schools. Chorlton High was a finalist (top 8) of TES school of the year. It has a theatre, loads of clubs, a student council, a wide range of GCSEs. Stretford High is extremely inclusive for a grammar and works so hard to meet every child's needs. It's also in the top 5 percent of schools wrt attainment nationally.

There's not really a massive culture in Chorlton of considering indie as "the only option". Most local people value and support their local schools and like that their children attend school as part of their local community. Many children are leaving each school with a string of GCSEs at grades 7,8 and 9. It's possibly quite a different vibe from where you are coming from in that respect of community.

If you really think Withington Girls and Mcr Grammar are the only options for your kids you genuinely might be more of a Hale or Didsbury kind of person?

If everyone in Chorlton has such a chip on their shoulder you’re right, it probably isn’t for us.

I’m not sure what “type of person” you think someone who wants to send their children to excellent schools is but I would have thought it was most parents.

My OP specifically said we’d planned to send them to grammar schools in Hale/Altrincham but prefer the vibe of Chorlton so it’s clear that I don’t think indie is “the only option”. I asked about excellent schools in the area, state or indie, but ideally co-Ed. From research and ofsted reports, the local schools didn’t appear to be the best academically.

Chorlton has gone downhill in recent years IMO. It’s very very expensive for what it is and apart from Beech road, the main high street is a bit grim. Have you visited it much?

The ‘best’ state school in south Manchester is Cheadle High but it’s a tiny catchment.

If you’re in DIdsbury or Chorlton the state schools are pretty average, although DIdsbury high just got outstanding across the board in ofsted. (Again, tiny catchment).

Private you’re looking at single sex for the best ones (withy girls / MGS) or Cheadle hulme / Stockport grammar for mixed. There’s definitely a bus from DIdsbury to all of those, not sure about Chorlton.

If you’re in Alti, then you get access to the grammar schools, which are excellent if you can get in.

If you're in Altrincham or Sale there is Sale Grammar School which is co-ed.

But you are dismissing the views of someone who has actual experience of excellent results and experiences at those very schools in favour of looking at results without considering cohort, and thinking ofsted is more important than personal recommendation?

I am telling you, these are good, decent, hardworking schools that do well by their intakes. Of course they aren't getting 85 percent grade 9 passes, they don't cherry pick their intake like that.

If I came across a bit chippy, you came across a bit of a toffee nose.

Hello @NyeRobey we are based in Chorlton already. My DD is in Yr 6 of a Chorlton High feeder school. This is our top choice for her. It's nice to hear some useful insights. Thank you.

Ok I apologise. But you were at best tactless. You want to come and live in our beloved town, but you come in saying you are "concerned" about the schools we all use like they aren't good enough, mention a highly exclusive independent school as where your daughter would attend, then when I suggest looking at the local schools that work hard for my children and my friends' children and work their socks off serving our community, you dismiss them as "average at best from their results and ofsted". Do you not perceive how that might have pissed a person off and made them a bit chippy?

You could have said "thinking of moving to Chorlton. What are the local high schools like?" But you prejudged them as insufficiently excellent.

@NyeRobey I also agree that Stretford Grammar is an excellent school from personal experience, and my daughter's friends really like chorlton high.

@Veebee89

According to the Manchester Evening News Altrincham has been labelled as mini-Dulwich.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/greater-manchester-town-dubbed-mini-29927579?utmterm=Autofeed&utmmmedium=Social&utmsource=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR14ZUTcqdYaR7SKWIIeRh6i6mycDlCILe79Whk9PoguFOk6BGFB7kI-QG44aemGVd777_-z9Bha8kUKpVzA4Q&ai=#Echobox=1726390865

And if you buy near to Wellington High School you would be in catchment for Wellington, Sale Grammar (co-ed) and the Altrincham single sex Grammars.

Stretford Grammar Progress Score is "Well above average."

I made a project on schools in the area, the data is from 2023 results (2024 are not available yet on the government website). It also shows the catchment area from council data - may be helpful if you look at schools.

manchesterschools.000webhostapp.com/

I think Stretford Grammar has 95% of pupils passing GCSE Maths and English 5 or above. That's better than the majority of schools in the country. What is your level of excellent when it comes to academics?

Just to warn you, entry to the Trafford grammar schools is very competitive. Just living in Hale or Altrincham and being from an achieving family won’t necessarily mean your children get into a grammar school. 1000s of students sit the exam from all over, not those living In Trafford, for each school.

Children need to be regularly achieving at great depth level during key stage 2 and the majority are also tutored from at least year 4.

I know several families who have moved to Trafford in year 3 or 4 to be close to a grammar school and their child didn’t get the qualifying marks. It was a rush but some of them got their children into one of the private schools - Manchester Grammars, Stockport Grammar or Cheadle Hulme, others went to the local state schools.

Agree with @NyeRobey
Chorlton High & Stretford grammar are known as excellent schools. Chorlton or similar are not going to get top results to rival privates / grammars as they are non selective school in very diverse city area. Apples & pears

Echo with this. Moving into Trafford just because of grammar schools is a big bet. You basically have no other comparable choice if you failed to get in.

Have a look at Cheadle Hulme School - independent co ed. I'm biased as I went there (travelling from Didsbury). In fact - look at Didsbury too ... fabulous place to live in my opinion.

Hi I'm in Altrincham and have lots of experience of the grammars and a fair bit of knowledge of the indies too.

Altrincham grammars are incredibly hard to get into. Both the boys and girls grammars will accept form anywhere now with a score over 362 ( pass mark 334) which has encouraged lots of people with incredibly bright children from very far away to apply pushing up the standard.

In order of ease to get into
Altrincham boys/girls
Sale
Urmston
Stretford

Separate exam for St Ambrose and Loreto grammars if you are catholic (single sex) If not chances are very slim of a place.

A lot of people sit their kids for the exam in September and if they don't pass put them in for the independent school exams in January.

Most tend to sit for Cheadle or Kings both coed and both excellent schools with very good sports facilities. Another option is Alderley Edge for girls.
St Bedes if you are catholic?

Withington/ Man high for girls and MGS for boys are other options.

I would t live in Chorlton though. Once nice road and then the rest isn't very nice in my opinion.