A council (local authority) in the North West
In short: Most primary schools here are rated Good or better, about the same as across England. Results at 11 are close to England, and results at 16 were below England in 2026. Missing school is a bigger problem than across England.
Salford at a glance
How Salford's schools compare with England, area by area.
Primary and secondary schools are ranked by Eduscope score, which weighs up results, inspections, attendance and more. Nurseries, special and independent schools aren't ranked. A high score isn't everything: always visit.
76 mainstream schools in Salford, best first
Results well above the England average.
51 first choices, 30 offers made
Met the standard at 1182%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
78 first choices, 60 offers made
Met the standard at 1184%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
48 first choices, 45 offers made
Met the standard at 1177%
England 62%
16 mainstream schools in Salford, best first
Results above the England average.
199 first choices, 172 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1653.3
England 46.2
Results above the England average.
247 first choices, 149 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1651.7
England 46.2
Results close to the England average.
220 first choices, 203 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1644.8
England 46.2
90 in Salford, highest Ofsted grade first
Salford, M6 6PU · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Manchester, M27 8RH · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Manchester, M44 6QE · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
9 in Salford, by the school's Eduscope score
Results close to the England average.
162 first choices, 174 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1645.3
England 46.2
Results well below the England average.
Attainment 8 at 1639.0
England 46.2
Salford, M30 9DY · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
10 in Salford. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Salford, M30 9DY · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Eccles, M30 9DY · Academy · All-through · Ages 9 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Salford, M7 4NX · Independent · All-through · Ages 0 to 25
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
32 in Salford. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Salford, M7 4NX · Independent · All-through · Ages 0 to 25
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
M7 4jd · Independent · Primary · Ages 2 to 11 · Girls
Independent school. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
M7 4dq · Independent · Primary · Ages 3 to 11 · Girls
Independent school. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Each dot is a school or nursery, coloured by its latest Ofsted grade. Point at a dot to see its name, or use the list.
Apply through the council where you live, even for a school in another council's area. Independent schools take applications directly.
Salford is a metropolitan borough in the North West with 76 mainstream primary schools and 16 mainstream secondary schools. Towns with the most schools include Salford, Eccles and Irlam. Faith schools are common, with 67 in the area, and they can put families of their faith first when they're full. Independent schools are common too, with 32 in the area.
From Salford council's website, checked 7 November 2026. Check the council's pages before you apply.
School admissions team: school.admissions@salford.gov.uk
If a date falls on a weekend or bank holiday, offers go out the next working day.
91.1%got their first-choice primary school in Salford in 2026. England: 92.4%. Ranked 107 of 151 councils. 97.6% got one of their top three.3.2% were offered a primary school in another council. England: 3.6%.
85.9%got their first-choice secondary school in Salford in 2026. England: 83.6%. Ranked 68 of 151 councils. 95.9% got one of their top three.11.5% were offered a secondary school in another council. England: 8.0%.
Source: DfE applications and offers, 2026. A low rate shows high demand, not poor schools.
4 of 53 primary appeals heard in Salford succeeded in 2025. 11 of 81 secondary appeals heard in Salford succeeded in 2025.
| Term | Starts | Half term | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn | 1 Sept | 26 Oct to 30 Oct | 18 Dec |
| Spring | 4 Jan | 15 Feb to 19 Feb | 2 Apr |
| Summer | 19 Apr | 1 Jun to 4 Jun | 22 Jul |
For schools that follow the council's dates. Academies, faith and foundation schools can set their own, and schools add training days. Source, checked 6 November 2026.
Pick a stage to see every Salford school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
4 Outstanding, 71 Good, 1 need to improve.
90nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
94% Good or better. 60% met the standard at 11.
102schools
Ages 11 to 16
9 Good, 1 need to improve. 42% got grade 5 in English and maths.
41schools
All 5 inspected are Good or better. About 10 pupils per teacher.
10schools
Here's how Salford's schools break down by type, faith and more.
The blue bar is the average Eduscope score of the primary schools in each town. The black line is the Salford average, 42.
Average primary score
39Salford 42
Average primary score
57Salford 42
Average primary score
36Salford 42
Some areas, like parts of a bigger town, are easiest to find by postcode.
Inspections, exam results and attendance, next to the figure for England where we have it.
SalfordEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 47 primaries with one.
94%
England 96%
Close to England
Secondaries rated Good or Outstanding
9 of the 10 with a grade.
90%
England 93%
Close to England
Met the expected standard at 11
Reading, writing and maths.
60%
England 62%
Close to England
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
At GCSE.
42%
Pupils who miss a lot of school
Missed 1 in 10 days or more. Lower is better.
21%
England 18%
Primary pupils on free school meals
A sign of family income, not of school quality.
36%
Latest graded inspection for the 83 schools that have one.
78%
Good or Outstanding
Salford in blue. There were no tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.
The latest published year for each measure. Sources and years are on our data sources page.
| Measure | Salford | England |
|---|---|---|
| Good or Outstanding (Ofsted) | 78% | 95% |
| Met the expected standard at 11 (KS2) | 60% | 62% |
| Attainment 8 | 43.6 | 46.2 |
| Persistent absence | 21% | 18% |
| Pupils per teacher | 17.3:1 | 17.9:1 |
| Spending per pupil | £8,547 | £8,120 |
| In education or work after 16 | 87% | 91% |
| Went on to higher education | 58% | 56% |
| Pupils with special educational needs | 26% | 21% |
| Pupils with English as an additional language | 24% | 22% |
| Pupils on free school meals | 37% | 27% |
DfE local authority code 355, ONS code E08000006.
Salford has 223 schools and nurseries across 8 towns and villages, the biggest being Salford, Eccles, Irlam and Little Hulton.
There are 8% more pupils than in 2018.
36% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Salford's state schools each January.
Up 8% since 2018. More children can mean popular schools fill up faster.
Out of every 10 primary pupils, how many get free school meals. It's a sign of family income, not of school quality.
Salford36%
Follow any school and we'll email you when it gets a new Ofsted report or new results are out. Nothing else.
Salford has 223 schools, including 102 primary schools, 41 secondary schools, 90 nurseries, 32 independent schools, 10 special schools. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Salford on Eduscope are James Brindley Community Primary School, St Andrew's CofE Primary School, St Philip's RC Primary School. We rank each state school against schools of the same phase across England on its Ofsted inspection, results and attendance. Independent, special and nursery schools aren't ranked.
78% of inspected schools in Salford hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is below the England average of 94.8%. This includes 10 schools rated Outstanding and 55 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Salford, 60% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths at Key Stage 2. This is based on the latest published results from the Department for Education.
The average pupil-teacher ratio across schools in Salford is 17.3:1. While not a direct measure of class size, this indicates the level of teaching resource available per pupil. Across England it is 17.9:1.
The persistent absence rate across schools in Salford is 20.6%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 38,393 pupils enrolled across schools in Salford, with 23,996 in primary and 14,397 in secondary. 37.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There are 32 independent schools in Salford. Fees vary by school and age group, with day school fees typically ranging from £10,000 to £20,000 per year. You can compare all private schools in Salford on Eduscope, including ISI inspection ratings where available.
Start by considering your child's age, your location, and whether you prefer a state or independent school. Use Eduscope to compare 223 schools in Salford by Ofsted ratings, exam results, and distance. Filter by school type, gender, religious character, and admissions policy to narrow your options.
Sources: DfE school performance tables, DfE school census and workforce, DfE pupil absence, Ofsted. Photos are stand-ins.
