Saint Ambrose College

Term dates

Academies can set their own term dates. Many follow Trafford council's dates, shown below as a guide, but check with the school, especially for INSET days.

• Term
• Holiday
• INSET day
• Exeat

See Trafford's full dates

Admissions

Places for Year 7 are applied for through your home council, not the school.

Apply for a secondary school place on GOV.UK

Selective school: Year 7 entry is by an entrance test (the 11+). Registration for the test usually closes in the summer of Year 5.

For the sixth form, apply to the school directly.

How many families applied: Year 7

For September 2026, 223 families put this school as their first choice, and 149 places were offered. 137 of the families who put it first got a place (61%). More families put it first than there were places.

Offers made on national offer day, from the Department for Education. Waiting lists and appeals can change things later. The hardest schools to get into.

11+ entrance test

This school sets its own entrance test: Saint Ambrose College entrance examination. Register with the school directly.

How shared 11+ tests work

Before and after school

This club is registered with Ofsted at the school's postcode, so usually run on the school site:

• Ok Mum St Ambrose. Ofsted report

Ask the club or the school about times, prices and places. More clubs nearby.

Ofsted inspection

Report card, 25 November 2025. Ofsted now grades each area separately, from exceptional to urgent improvement, with no single overall grade.

Inclusion

Strong standard

Curriculum and teaching

Strong standard

Achievement

Exceptional

Attendance and behaviour

Strong standard

Personal development and wellbeing

Exceptional

Sixth form

Strong standard

Leadership and governance

Strong standard

Safeguarding standards: met.

Previous inspection, 18 February 2020. Overall: Good

Read the Ofsted reports

From Ofsted's published inspection data (Open Government Licence). Report cards and older grades use different scales, so they can't be compared directly.

About and location

Type

Academy

Phase

Secondary

Ages

11–18

Pupils

1096 (capacity 1050)

Gender

Boys

Religious character

Roman Catholic

Diocese

Diocese of Shrewsbury

Academy trust

THE LAETARE CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST

Admissions

Selective (entrance test)

Phone

01619802711

Address

Hale Road, Hale Barns, Altrincham, WA15 0HE

Website

st-ambrosecollege.org.uk

Official school record, including Ofsted reports