SCHOOL PROFILE

Salford City Academy

Secondary Academy sponsor led URN 135071
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 750 Published school capacity
Capacity used 116.8% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

21 April 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Expected standard
Curriculum & teaching Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Attendance & behaviour Expected standard
Personal development Strong standard
Leadership & governance Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

16 February 2022
Ungraded inspection School remains Good
Published 28 April 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy sponsor led
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Christian
Local authority Salford
Trust UNITED LEARNING TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 876 876 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 452 51.6% of pupils
Male pupils 424 48.4% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

46.3%
21.5 pts above England
School 46.3%
Salford 32.2%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

24.0%
3.7 pts above England
School 24.0%
Salford 20.3%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

3.3%
2.3 pts above England
School 3.3%
Salford 0.6%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
61.4%
538
Any other ethnic group
9.4%
82
Any other White background
6.7%
59
African
5.4%
47
Any other Mixed background
4.2%
37
Any other Black background
2.2%
19
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 21.8% 191 of 876 pupils
1.0 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 21.8%
Salford 24.7%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 19.0% 166 pupils
England 14.8% 4.2 pts above
EHC plans 2.9% 25 pupils
England 6.0% 3.2 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 55
Speech, language & communication 35
Moderate learning difficulty 32
Specific learning difficulty 30
Autistic spectrum disorder 23
Physical disability 6

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

46.1 6.9 pts above England
School 46.1
Salford 33.8
North West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 41.7% England 36.0% 5.7 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 66.9% England 51.4% 15.5 pts above England
EBacc entry 41.1% England 30.6% 10.5 pts above England
EBacc average point score 4.08 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.13 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

10.27%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

4.05 pts higher than England
School 10.27%
Salford 6.74%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

28.94%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

13.12 pts higher than England
School 28.94%
Salford 18.56%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

5.00%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

3.20 pts higher than England
School 5.00%
Salford 2.27%
North West 1.75%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

116.8% 24.5 pts above England
Salford City Academy
116.8%
Salford
92.1%
North West
91.8%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information