Preston Manor School
97%
Capacity
1,927
Pupils
2.6x
Demand
About Preston Manor School
Preston Manor School is a popular choice among Brent families, with 492 applications for 192 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.56. Only 58 first-preference offers were made, so securing a place is competitive. The school is a large, mixed, all-through state secondary for ages 4 to 19, with no religious character, and is currently rated Good by Ofsted following its most recent ungraded inspection in 2022, which confirmed it remains Good. The previous graded inspection in 2012 also rated overall effectiveness as Good, with leadership and management and sixth-form provision both judged Outstanding at that time. With 28.9% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a diverse community, and its size — 1,927 pupils against a capacity of 1,980 — means it is operating very close to full.
Academically, Preston Manor performs above average. Its Progress 8 score of 0.25 places it in the above-average banding nationally, and it ranks 10th out of 13 schools in Brent on this metric. The local authority average Progress 8 is 0.73, so while Preston Manor is positive, it sits below the LA mean. Attainment 8 sits at 47.3, with 64.6% of pupils achieving a grade 5 or above in English and maths. The EBacc entry rate is 60.6%, and 30.5% of pupils entered the EBacc achieved a grade 5 or above. At A-level, the school’s value-added score is 0.15, also above average, with an average point score per entry of 30.16, equating to a grade C. The best three A-levels average out at a C grade too, and the sixth form is rated as having above-average progress.
The school offers a broad range of facilities including a dining hall, library, science labs, gymnasium, sports hall, astro turf, and a dedicated sixth form centre. Sports on offer include athletics, rugby, football, hockey, rowing, and netball, while clubs range from the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and Model UN to coding, drama, and Young Enterprise. SEND provision is extensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder, with a resourced provision on site. For families who value a large, well-subscribed school with strong academic progress and a wide co-curricular offer, Preston Manor is a solid choice, though the high oversubscription means early application is essential.
Key Details
| School Type | Secondary (State) |
| Age Range | 4 to 19 years |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Religious Character | None |
| Address | Carlton Avenue East, Wembley, Brent, HA9 8NA |
| Headteacher | Russell Denial |
| Local Authority | Brent |
| Number of Pupils | 1,927 |
| Free School Meals (FSM) | 28.9% |
| School Capacity | 1,927 / 1,980 (97% full) |
| Sixth Form | Yes |
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
14 Jul 2022Overall Effectiveness
Good
Latest inspection (14 Jul 2022): School remains Good
Source: Ofsted, 3 Aug 2012. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
League Table Position
Based on Progress 8 (+0.25)
944th of 3,141
Nationally
258th of 487
In London
10th of 13
In Brent
Source: Classpot analysis of DfE Progress 8 data
GCSE Results
2023/24Progress 8 Score
Students make more 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.
A-Level Results
2023/24Average Points per Entry
Value Added Score
Best 3 A-Levels (Average)
'21/22
31.3
'22/23
28.4
'23/24
30.2
Source: Department for Education 16-18 Performance Tables, 2023/24. Value Added measures progress compared to students with similar GCSE results.
Where school leavers go
2022/2367%
of A-level / Level 3 leavers go to higher education (cohort: 132 pupils).
Top-tier university progression
25%
Russell Group
26%
Top-third HE
1%
Oxford / Cambridge
Percentages of the whole cohort (not just HE-goers). Russell Group = 24 elite research universities. Top-third HE = top by mean UCAS tariff.
- University (HE)67%
- Employment11%
- Not sustained10%
- Other education5%
- Apprenticeship2%
Sources: DfE 16-18 destination measures (broad bucket); DfE KS5 student destinations file (Russell Group / top-third HE / Oxbridge). Level 3 cohort. “Sustained” means the pupil was in education, apprenticeship or employment for 6 months in the year following completion.
SEND Support
Resourced ProvisionSource: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
Facilities
7Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
19Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
Admissions
2025/26Oversubscribed192
492
Good Demand
Popular school with more applications than places
58 families put this school as their 1st choice (12% 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
2024/25Above the national average (25%) — higher-disadvantage intake.
Among the highest 25% — a diverse linguistic intake.
Ethnic background
- Asian34.9%
- White (other)14.1%
- Mixed5.2%
- White British2.3%
- Black2.3%
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.
18
Total schools
12
Oversubscribed
11
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 Preston Manor School
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
Carlton Avenue East, Wembley
Brent, HA9 8NA
Journey to School
Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.
Opening Hours
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