Loreto Grammar School vs Sale Grammar School
Both are grammar schools in Trafford, 2.7 miles apart. Side-by-side on official DfE, Ofsted and council admissions data.
Side by side
| Loreto Grammar School | Sale Grammar School | |
|---|---|---|
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary |
| Gender | Girls | Mixed |
| Pupils on roll | 1,075 | 1,352 |
| Free school meals | 5.5% | 2.9% |
| Ofsted rating | Outstanding | Outstanding |
| Attainment 8 — 2025/26 | 75.2 | 75.5 |
| 11+ test board | School's own entrance examination (Maths; English and Verbal Reasoning by GL) | GL Assessment |
| Admission system | pass/fail then criteria order (score doesn't give priority after passing) | pass/fail + catchment (passing the test is a gate; living in the catchment area determines priority over score) |
| Places offered — 202627 | 160 | 197 |
| First preferences per place — higher means more competition for a first-preference place | 1.61 | 1.35 |
Qualifying scores
Loreto Grammar School
Not published as a fixed pass mark. Loreto Grammar School runs its own 'Governors' Entrance Exam' (3 papers); girls meeting the school's standard are then prioritised by the Catholic faith-based oversubscription criteria, with distance only as a tiebreaker.
Sale Grammar School
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.
These schools use different tests (School's own entrance examination (Maths; English and Verbal Reasoning by GL) and GL Assessment), so their pass marks are set on different scales and cannot be compared as numbers.
Who gets priority
Where a school is oversubscribed, these are the first criteria applied, in order. This is usually what decides an application.
Loreto Grammar School
- Baptised Roman Catholic looked after and previously looked after girls
- Baptised Roman Catholic girls with a sister at the school
- Baptised Roman Catholic girls at an associated primary school living in a nominated Local Pastoral Area
- Other baptised Roman Catholic girls
- Other looked after and previously looked after girls
- Baptised girls of other denominations
Source: school admissions policy.
Sale Grammar School
- Looked after and previously looked after children
- Up to 15 Pupil Premium children: first those in the priority area (nearest first), then those at a Trafford state primary living elsewhere in Trafford (in score order)
- Children living in the priority area (M33, plus Trafford addresses in M23, WA14 and WA15) — nearest first
- Children from outside the priority area — in score order
Source: school admissions policy.
Choosing between them
Loreto Grammar School is a girls school and Sale Grammar School is a mixed school, so for many families the starting point is which one can admit their child. 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
- Altrincham Grammar School for Boys vs Altrincham Grammar School for Girls
- Altrincham Grammar School for Boys vs Loreto Grammar School
- Altrincham Grammar School for Boys vs Saint Ambrose College
- Altrincham Grammar School for Boys vs Sale Grammar School
- Altrincham Grammar School for Boys vs Stretford Grammar School
- Altrincham Grammar School for Boys vs Urmston Grammar Academy
- Altrincham Grammar School for Girls vs Loreto Grammar School
- Altrincham Grammar School for Girls vs Saint Ambrose College
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