A selective co-educational grammar school in Manchester, Trafford, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,124 pupils on roll.
Urmston Grammar Academy
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At a glance
Urmston Grammar Academy is a co-educational selective grammar on Newton Road in Trafford, serving ages 11 to 18. The school's history page traces a line from Urmston Science and Arts School in 1882, through the first use of the Urmston Grammar name in 1923, to the move to the current site in 1929, full co-educational amalgamation in 1991 and academy conversion in 2010. The school has around 1,124 pupils on roll.
The school's ethos is built around the motto "Manners Makyth Man" and the three key messages of pride, participation and empathy. Its headteacher's welcome describes a school with a proud tradition of strong academic outcomes and personal development, including past national recognition as a Science and Language College. That history helps explain the modern grammar-school blend: academic selectivity, but with behaviour, courtesy and contribution made explicit.
Music is one of the clearest windows into wider life at Urmston. The school says music flourishes from Years 7 to 13, with opportunities in lessons, assemblies, concerts and community events; all Year 7 students take part in the first-term Let's Sing concert, and the curriculum includes world musics, popular styles, notation, keyboard skills and music technology. The wider site also points to sport, trips and visits, debating, student leadership, and facilities including an Astroturf, sports hall, theatre, conference room and main hall.
Year 7 admission has 150 places and uses the Trafford Grammar School Consortium GL entrance exam across verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and mathematics. The qualifying score is 324 or above for pupil-premium candidates and 334 or 334R and above for other candidates, with places then allocated through categories including pupil premium, top scores, children of staff, siblings and distance within priority postcodes. Ofsted judged the school Good in May 2022; GOV.UK shows +0.88 Progress 8, 98% grade 5+ in English and maths, and 30.2% 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 1,124 pupils; 1,115 had a recorded ethnic group.
| Recorded group | Share | Category | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| White British | 46.3% | White | 520 |
| Pakistani | 8.7% | Asian | 98 |
| Indian | 8.5% | Asian | 96 |
| African | 7.4% | Black | 83 |
| Chinese | 5.5% | Asian | 62 |
| Any other White background | 5.4% | White | 61 |
| Any other ethnic group | 4% | Other | 45 |
| Any other Asian background | 3.3% | Asian | 37 |
| Any other mixed background | 2.6% | Mixed | 29 |
| White and Asian | 2% | Mixed | 22 |
| White and Black African | 1.4% | Mixed | 16 |
| White and Black Caribbean | 1.4% | Mixed | 16 |
| Any other Black background | 1.2% | Black | 14 |
| Unclassified | 0.8% | Unclassified | 9 |
| Bangladeshi | 0.7% | Asian | 8 |
| Caribbean | 0.5% | Black | 6 |
| Irish | 0.2% | White | 2 |
For the main distance category, M41 and M31 postcodes are considered first, then remaining candidates by straight-line distance to the school.
EHCP naming the school
Candidates with an EHCP naming Urmston Grammar and meeting entry requirements are allocated places first.
Looked after and previously looked after children
Applies to qualifying candidates.
Pupil premium score priority
About 15 places are allocated to the highest-performing pupil premium applicants meeting the lower qualifying score.
Highest scores
About 20 places are allocated to the top-scoring candidates irrespective of home address.
Children of long-serving staff
Applies where the staff employment rule is met and the candidate reaches a qualifying score.
Siblings
Siblings on roll when the admission assessment was sat receive priority if qualified.
Urmston Grammar Academy currently uses GL Assessment. The published format currently lists 1 paper. Scores are published as age-standardised.
Shared exam route
Urmston Grammar Academy 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
Trafford Grammar School Consortium entrance exam
Two GL Assessment tests of about one hour each covering verbal, non-verbal and mathematics skills.
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
Two GL Assessment tests of about one hour each covering verbal, non-verbal and mathematics skills.
Non-verbal reasoning
Two GL Assessment tests of about one hour each covering verbal, non-verbal and mathematics skills.
English
Science
Registration opens
23 April 2026
PastRegistration closes
19 June 2026
Entrance examination
14 September 2026
Entrance examination outcomes
Before 31 October 2026
Common Application Form deadline
31 October 2026
National Allocation Day
1 March 2027
Register for the Trafford GL entrance exam
Complete online registration between 23 April and 19 June 2026.
Open registrationSit the entrance examination
The Trafford Grammar School Consortium GL test covers verbal, non-verbal and mathematics skills.
Open test guidanceReview the outcome
Qualifying scores are communicated before the CAF deadline; local review is available for specified near-miss scores.
Open policySubmit the Common Application Form
Name Urmston Grammar on the CAF by 31 October 2026.
Open policyLatest 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 | 74.7 | 74.2 | 49.4 |
| 2022/23 | 72.7 | 71.8 | 47.0 |
| 2023/24 | 75.9 | 72.1 | 46.7 |
| 2024/25 | 71.7 | 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 | B average (39.4 points) | 44.0 points | 37.5 points |
| 2022/23 | B average (39.4 points) | 40.5 points | 33.7 points |
| 2023/24 | B average (39.9 points) | 41.3 points | 34.5 points |
| 2024/25 | B average (41.3 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 | 100% | 99.1% | 94.1% |
| 2022/23 | 99% | 98.9% | 93.9% |
| 2023/24 | 99% | 99.0% | 93.3% |
| 2024/25 | 99% | 98.7% | 91.8% |
Latest year breakdown
| In education | 99% |
|---|---|
| In apprenticeships | 0% |
| In employment | 0% |
Latest inspection: 25 May 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 Trafford
Compare 7 Trafford grammar schools for 2026: GCSE ranking table, Ofsted, Trafford route, admissions rules, competition, and school profiles.
Best Grammar Schools in the UK
Explore the best grammar schools in the UK with a national ranking that can be filtered by county, school type, and Ofsted before moving into local admissions detail.
Best Grammar Schools by A-level Results
Explore the best grammar schools by A-level results in the UK, ranked by the published share of students achieving AAB or better at A level.
Related guides are still being added.
FAQ
Urmston Grammar Academy currently uses GL Assessment.
1. Register for the Trafford GL entrance exam: Complete online registration between 23 April and 19 June 2026. 2. Sit the entrance examination: The Trafford Grammar School Consortium GL test covers verbal, non-verbal and mathematics skills. 3. Review the outcome: Qualifying scores are communicated before the CAF deadline; local review is available for specified near-miss scores. 4. Submit the Common Application Form: Name Urmston Grammar on the CAF by 31 October 2026.
Registration opens: 23 April 2026. Registration closes: 19 June 2026. Entrance examination: 14 September 2026. Entrance examination outcomes: Before 31 October 2026. Common Application Form deadline: 31 October 2026. National Allocation Day: 1 March 2027
Urmston Grammar Academy is currently rated Good following the latest published inspection dated 25 May 2022.