Great Academy Ashton
96%
Capacity
1,299
Pupils
1.5x
Demand
About Great Academy Ashton
Great Academy Ashton is a large secondary school in Tameside with 1,299 pupils on roll, just shy of its 1,350 capacity. The school serves a community with significant economic disadvantage: 47% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average. Demand for places is strong — for the 2025/26 intake, the school received 376 applications for 254 places, with 174 of those coming as first preferences. That oversubscription ratio of 1.48 suggests local families are actively choosing the school despite its recent Ofsted rating. The school is non-selective, mixed, and has no religious character, catering for pupils aged 11 to 16 with no sixth form. Headteacher Matthew Little leads a school where the pupil body is notably diverse in its needs, with a wide range of SEND provisions on offer including support for autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language difficulties, and social, emotional and mental health needs.
Academically, the school's Progress 8 score of -0.56 is well below average nationally and sits below the Tameside local authority average of -0.19. This places Great Academy Ashton 13th out of 16 schools in the borough and in the bottom 50% nationally. The Attainment 8 score is 36, and just 28% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths. The EBacc entry rate is 25.6%, with 10.2% achieving the full EBacc at grade 5 or above. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2025, the school was not given an overall effectiveness grade but received Good ratings for behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. The quality of education was judged as Requires Improvement, the same as in the previous inspection in 2023. Parent feedback from a survey of 63 respondents shows 73% would recommend the school, with strong agreement that their child is happy (38% strongly agree) and that the school has high expectations (52% agree).
The school offers a solid range of facilities including a swimming pool, theatre, sports hall, music rooms and library, plus clubs such as the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, Model UN, coding and a newspaper group. Sports on offer include martial arts, badminton, athletics and cricket. The SEND provision is comprehensive, covering nine different areas of need, and 33% of parents who responded said their child has SEND — of those, 71% agreed or strongly agreed that the school gives them the support they need. The school is oversubscribed, so families applying will need to be aware of the admissions criteria. For parents who value strong pastoral care and a school that is actively working on improving academic outcomes, Great Academy Ashton may be a good fit, particularly for children who benefit from the wide range of SEND support and extracurricular opportunities on offer.
Key Details
| School Type | Secondary (State) |
| Age Range | 11 to 16 years |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Religious Character | None |
| Address | Broadoak Road, Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside, OL6 8RF |
| Headteacher | Matthew Little |
| Local Authority | Tameside |
| Number of Pupils | 1,299 |
| Free School Meals (FSM) | 47.0% |
| School Capacity | 1,299 / 1,350 (96% full) |
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
11 Mar 2025Quality of Education
Requires improvement
Since Sep 2024, Ofsted no longer assigns a single overall grade
Source: Ofsted, 15 May 2025. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
League Table Position
Based on Progress 8 (-0.56)
2694th of 3,141
Nationally
348th of 445
In North West
13th of 16
In Tameside
Source: Classpot analysis of DfE Progress 8 data
GCSE Results
2023/24Progress 8 Score
Students make significantly less progress than similar students nationally
Attainment 8 (vs national avg)
Students achieve significantly higher grades than the national average
Source: Department for Education, 2023/24. Progress 8 compares to students with similar Key Stage 2 results.
Where GCSE leavers go
2022/2345%
of GCSE leavers continue at FE college (cohort: 261 pupils).
- FE college45%
- Sixth form college38%
- Not sustained9%
- Employment4%
- Apprenticeship2%
90% of leavers had a sustained destination 6 months on.
Source: DfE Compare School & College Performance, KS4 pupil destinations 2022/23 (revised). Only state-funded schools are required to report.
Ofsted Parent View
63 responsesWould Recommend This School
Source: Ofsted Parent View (GOV.UK statistical data), Sep – Sep 2025
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
Facilities
6Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
13Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
Admissions
2025/26Oversubscribed254
376
Balanced
Applications roughly match available places
174 families put this school as their 1st choice (46% of all applications)
Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.
Class profile
2024/25Better than 75% of schools in England.
Better than half of schools in England.
Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Pupils & demographics
2024/25Among the highest-disadvantage schools.
Above the national median (10%) — a meaningful share speak English as an additional language.
Ethnic background
- White British53.2%
- Asian26.2%
- Mixed8.9%
- White (other)2.0%
- Black0.2%
Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.
Attendance & Behaviour
2024/2575% of schools in England do better than this.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
A pupil temporarily sent home for behaviour.
Permanent exclusion is rare — most schools have none in a given year.
Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.
Catchment & Local Competition
No catchment data published for this school
The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.
⚠ This school is oversubscribed — without published cutoff data we can't show how far places reach. Check your council's admissions page.
Schools within 1 mile (reference area)
1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.
13
Total schools
11
Oversubscribed
10
Primary
Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.
Frequently Asked Questions About Great Academy Ashton
Helpful Guides for Parents
Ofsted Ratings Explained
Understand the 4 Ofsted ratings and what they mean
Understanding Progress 8
Learn how Progress 8 measures pupil progress from primary to GCSE
SEN & EHCP: A Parent's Guide
Understanding SEN support, EHC Plans and your legal rights
Understanding School Catchment Areas
How admission distances work and tips for maximising your choices
Contact Information
Broadoak Road, Ashton-under-Lyne
Tameside, OL6 8RF
Journey to School
Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.
Opening Hours
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