Altrincham Grammar School for Boys vs Saint Ambrose College

Both are grammar schools in Trafford, 1.4 miles apart. Side-by-side on official DfE, Ofsted and council admissions data.

Side by side

	Altrincham Grammar School for Boys	Saint Ambrose College
Phase	Secondary	Secondary
Gender	Boys	Boys
Pupils on roll	1,421	1,091
Free school meals	5.4%	6.3%
Ofsted rating	Outstanding	Good
Attainment 8 — 2024/25	78.5	76.2
A-level average points — 2024/25	45.54	44.54
11+ test board	GL Assessment	GL Assessment
Admission system	pass/fail then criteria order (score doesn't give priority after passing)	pass/fail then criteria order (score doesn't give priority after passing)
Places offered — 202627	215	149
First preferences per place — higher means more competition for a first-preference place	1.4	1.5

Qualifying scores

Altrincham Grammar School for Boys

334 (2026 entry)

Trafford Consortium qualifying score: 334 or above (standardised, across the two consortium papers). Reaching 334 is eligibility, not an offer — each school's oversubscription criteria then apply. AGSB 2025 entry: out-of-catchment places required a minimum score of 377 (20 out-of-catchment offers); in-catchment applicants needed only the qualifying 334.

Council source ↗

Saint Ambrose College

No fixed pass mark. St Ambrose College offers its ~140 Year 7 places in rank order of total score on its own 3-paper entrance test, with Catholic faith-based oversubscription categories applied.

Council source ↗

Who gets priority

Where a school is oversubscribed, these are the first criteria applied, in order. This is usually what decides an application.

Altrincham Grammar School for Boys

Looked after children and previously looked after children
Children with exceptional medical/social needs
Siblings of children currently on roll at the school
All other qualifying children — tiebreaker: distance (straight line, closest first)

Source: school admissions policy.

Saint Ambrose College

Looked after children and previously looked after children
Children with exceptional medical/social needs
Siblings of children currently on roll at the school
All other qualifying children — tiebreaker: distance (straight line, closest first)

Source: school admissions policy.

Choosing between them

Both schools admit boys, so the decision usually comes down to the admission criteria above and how far each one reaches. The figures on this page are the published ones — they describe intakes and results, not what either school would be like for your child. The right choice depends on your family's own priorities and circumstances.

Other Trafford comparisons

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