Saint Ambrose College vs Sale Grammar School

Both are grammar schools in Trafford, 3.3 miles apart. Side-by-side on official DfE, Ofsted and council admissions data.

Side by side

	Saint Ambrose College	Sale Grammar School
Phase	Secondary	Secondary
Gender	Boys	Mixed
Pupils on roll	1,091	1,350
Free school meals	6.3%	3%
Ofsted rating	Good	Outstanding
Attainment 8 — 2024/25	76.2	76.1
A-level average points — 2024/25	44.54	45.32
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	149	197
First preferences per place — higher means more competition for a first-preference place	1.5	1.35

Qualifying scores

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 ↗

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.

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.

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.

Sale Grammar School

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

Saint Ambrose College is a boys 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.

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