A selective co-educational grammar school in Sale, Cheshire, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,350 pupils on roll.
Sale Grammar School
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At a glance
Sale Grammar School is a co-educational selective grammar in Trafford, serving ages 11 to 18. The school describes itself as happy and vibrant, with the three-word motto-like sequence "aspire, act, achieve" and values of kindness, respect, community, creativity, curiosity and perseverance. The school has around 1,350 pupils on roll, including a substantial sixth form.
The academic offer is presented through high aspirations and personal development rather than through subject lists alone. The headteacher's welcome links strong academic tradition with opportunities in music, sport, leadership and clubs, while the values page stresses curiosity, creative thinking and perseverance. The sixth form, with approximately 380 students, extends the same vision and gives students routes into leadership, academic enrichment and study beyond the Sale Grammar community.
School life has a broad, participatory feel. The official pages point to music, sport, leadership and extra-curricular clubs, and the sports page shows regular fixture activity. The school also foregrounds excellent relationships and community life, which makes the pastoral language feel central rather than decorative.
Year 7 admission has 190 places and uses the Trafford grammar-school GL route. Candidates sit two tests of about one hour each, covering verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and mathematics; for 2027 entry, the qualifying score is 334 or above, though qualification is not an offer guarantee. The oversubscription order includes looked-after children, up to 15 pupil-premium places, priority-area categories, distance and ranked scores. Ofsted judged the school Outstanding in June 2022; GOV.UK shows +0.80 Progress 8, 100% grade 5+ in English and maths, and 38.5% AAB or better at A level.
Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with Trafford and England.
Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Trafford and England.
Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with Trafford and England.
January 2025 school census
Whole-school roll of 1,350 pupils; 1,346 had a recorded ethnic group.
| Recorded group | Share | Category | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| White British | 52.7% | White | 712 |
| Indian | 10.5% | Asian | 142 |
| Chinese | 5.9% | Asian | 79 |
| Pakistani | 5.8% | Asian | 78 |
| Any other White background | 5% | White | 68 |
| White and Asian | 4.1% | Mixed | 56 |
| Any other ethnic group | 3.3% | Other | 44 |
| African | 3.1% | Black | 42 |
| Any other mixed background | 3% | Mixed | 41 |
| Any other Asian background | 2.1% | Asian | 28 |
| White and Black Caribbean | 1.4% | Mixed | 19 |
| White and Black African | 1% | Mixed | 14 |
| Any other Black background | 0.7% | Black | 9 |
| Bangladeshi | 0.6% | Asian | 8 |
| Irish | 0.4% | White | 5 |
| Unclassified | 0.3% | Unclassified | 4 |
| Caribbean | 0.1% | Black | 1 |
Priority is based on a defined priority admission area, Pupil Premium priority and score rank, with straight-line distance tie-breaks.
Looked After Children and all previously Looked After Children. A 'looked after child' or a child who was p...
Looked After Children and all previously Looked After Children. A 'looked after child' or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, child arrangements, or special guardianship order including those who appear [to the admission authority] to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989).
Up to 15 applicants who qualify for Pupil Premium. Places will be allocated in the following order. I. Appl...
Up to 15 applicants who qualify for Pupil Premium. Places will be allocated in the following order. I. Applicants who qualify for Pupil Premium residing in the priority admission area as described in category
Where the number of applicants qualifying for admission under this criterion exceeds the number of Pupil Pr...
Where the number of applicants qualifying for admission under this criterion exceeds the number of Pupil Premium places available, priority will be given to those applicants residing closer to the school. The distance from home to school is calculated in a direct straight line from the child's permanent place of residence to the school. For the home address the distance will be calculated using property co-ordinates provided from Trafford’s Local Land and Property Gazetteer (BS7666) (Royal Mail Postal Address information may be used in some instances). In the case of a child living in a block of flats, co-ordinates will be obtained in the same way. The co- ordinates that will be used for the School are 379064,
II. Applicants who qualify for Pupil Premium attending a Trafford state funded primary school (see appendix...
II. Applicants who qualify for Pupil Premium attending a Trafford state funded primary school (see appendix) whose permanent home address lies within the Trafford Local Authority but not within the priority admission area. Places in this category will be allocated by rank score order. Where several applicants qualify for the final Pupil Premium place using ranked scores, priority will be given to the applicant residing closer to the school as measured in a direct straight line from the child's permanent place of residence to the school. For the home address the distance will be calculated using property co-ordinates provided from Trafford’s Local Land and Property Gazetteer (BS7666) (Royal Mail Postal Address information may be used in some instances). In the case of a child living in a block of flats, co-ordinates will be obtained in the same way. The co-ordinates that will be used for the School are 379064,
Applicants residing in the priority admission area as defined by postcode M33, plus Trafford Authority resi...
Applicants residing in the priority admission area as defined by postcode M33, plus Trafford Authority residents within the M23, WA14, and WA15 postcodes. Where the number of applicants qualifying for admission under this criterion exceeds the number of places available, priority will be given to those applicants residing closer to the school. The distance from home to school is calculated in a direct straight line from the child's permanent place of residence to the school. For the home address the distance will be calculated using property co-ordinates provided from Trafford’s Local Land and Property Gazetteer (BS7666) (Royal Mail Postal Address information may be used in some instances). In the case of a child living in a block of flats, co-ordinates will be obtained in the same way. The co-ordinates that will be used for the School are 379064,
Applicants from outside the priority admission area will be placed in rank order as determined by their sco...
Applicants from outside the priority admission area will be placed in rank order as determined by their scores in the selection tests. Where several applicants qualify for the final available place using ranked scores, priority will be given to the applicant residing closer to the school as measured in a direct straight line from the child's permanent place of residence to the school. For the home address the distance will be calculated using property coordinates provided from Trafford’s Local Land and Property Gazetteer (BS7666) (Royal Mail Postal Address information may be used in some instances). In the case of a child living in a block of flats, co-ordinates will be obtained in the same way. The co-ordinates that will be used for the School are 379064, 391257.
The 2027 entrance examination uses GL Assessment materials across verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and mathematics, with registration open from 23 April to 19 June 2026 and testing on 14 September 2026.
Shared exam route
Sale Grammar School uses the shared Trafford route. Use these common practice resources for the route, then check the full consortium guide for the complete set and current test guidance.
View all Trafford practice papersPaper 1
Verbal reasoning, Non-verbal reasoning, Maths
GL test 1
One of two GL Assessment tests, each around one hour, covering verbal, non-verbal and mathematics skills.
Paper 2
Verbal reasoning, Non-verbal reasoning, Maths
GL test 2
The second GL Assessment test contributes to the total standardised score.
Maths, Verbal reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning are included in the published format.
English and Science are not listed in the current published format.
Maths
Verbal reasoning
One of two GL Assessment tests, each around one hour, covering verbal, non-verbal and mathematics skills.
Non-verbal reasoning
One of two GL Assessment tests, each around one hour, covering verbal, non-verbal and mathematics skills.
English
Science
Registration opens
23 April 2026, 12 noon
PastRegistration closes
19 June 2026, 12 noon
Test details sent
by Tuesday 8 September 2026
Entrance examination
Monday 14 September 2026
Special circumstances deadline
17 September 2026, 12 noon
Entrance examination results
prior to 31 October 2026
Common application form deadline
31 October 2026
National Allocation Day
1 March 2027
Acceptance deadline
15 March 2027
Read the 2027 admissions route
Check the entry policy, catchment rules and qualifying score before registration opens.
Open admissions routeRegister for the entrance examination
Registration opens at noon on 23 April 2026 and closes at noon on 19 June 2026.
Register for the testSit the entrance examination
Entrance testing takes place on 14 September 2026, with test details sent on 8 September.
View test datesSubmit the Common Application Form
List the school on the home local authority CAF by 31 October 2026 after results are available.
View application guidanceLatest official destinations data currently covers 2022/23 study leavers.
Recent trend
This follows the school's published overall GCSE score across the subjects pupils take. Higher is better.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 77.9 | 74.2 | 49.4 |
| 2022/23 | 74.2 | 71.8 | 47.0 |
| 2023/24 | 75.5 | 72.1 | 46.7 |
| 2024/25 | 76.1 | 72.3 | 46.8 |
Recent trend
This follows the published average A-level result for the school's sixth form. Higher is better.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | A- average (48.3 points) | 44.0 points | 37.5 points |
| 2022/23 | A- average (45.0 points) | 40.5 points | 33.7 points |
| 2023/24 | B+ average (44.4 points) | 41.3 points | 34.5 points |
| 2024/25 | A- average (45.3 points) | 41.8 points | 35.0 points |
Recent trend
This follows the share of pupils moving into a sustained destination after Year 11, such as education, apprenticeships, or employment.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 99% | 99.1% | 94.1% |
| 2022/23 | 100% | 98.9% | 93.9% |
| 2023/24 | 99% | 99.0% | 93.3% |
| 2024/25 | 99% | 98.7% | 91.8% |
Latest year breakdown
| In education | 95% |
|---|---|
| In apprenticeships | 3% |
| In employment | 1% |
Latest inspection: 30 June 2022
Local rivals appear first, followed by nearby alternatives where the journey and admissions route are still comparable.
Same Trafford area and similar co-ed selective route
Same Trafford area and similar co-ed selective route
Same wider selective region and a similar admissions route
Same wider selective region and a similar admissions route
Closest comparable alternatives with a similar academic profile, so parents can weigh local fit and results together.
Nearby option with similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
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Best Grammar Schools in the UK
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Related guides are still being added.
FAQ
Sale Grammar School currently uses GL Assessment.
1. Read the 2027 admissions route: Check the entry policy, catchment rules and qualifying score before registration opens. 2. Register for the entrance examination: Registration opens at noon on 23 April 2026 and closes at noon on 19 June 2026. 3. Sit the entrance examination: Entrance testing takes place on 14 September 2026, with test details sent on 8 September. 4. Submit the Common Application Form: List the school on the home local authority CAF by 31 October 2026 after results are available.
Registration opens: 23 April 2026, 12 noon. Registration closes: 19 June 2026, 12 noon. Test details sent: by Tuesday 8 September 2026. Entrance examination: Monday 14 September 2026. Special circumstances deadline: 17 September 2026, 12 noon. Entrance examination results: prior to 31 October 2026. Common application form deadline: 31 October 2026. National Allocation Day: 1 March 2027. Acceptance deadline: 15 March 2027
Sale Grammar School is currently rated Outstanding following the latest published inspection dated 30 June 2022.