Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Ian Greig · CC BY-SA 2.06 state-funded schools are located in Clifton’s built-up area. At Key Stage 2, 60% of pupils at Clifton’s primaries met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, below Greater Manchester’s towns (63%) and close to towns in England (62%). Clifton grades B− for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #55 of 81 in Greater Manchester. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
The primary figure: 4 primaries in the town, 422 pupils in results over three years. Clifton has 1 secondary of its own with GCSE results, too few to judge on, so the secondary figure uses the 14 graded secondaries in and within 3 km of the town (2,301 pupils in results). Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Clifton’s built-up area.
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table.
Schools with more pupils on free school meals tend to get lower results. The dashed line is the typical school in England for each level of free school meals; the band holds the middle two-thirds. A dot above the band is doing better than schools like it.
The share of pupils on free school meals runs from 34% at St Mark's RC Primary School to 53% at St Augustine's CofE Primary School. Against schools with the same intake, Clifton Primary School does best: 65% with 42% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 57%. 4 of 4 primaries are above the line.
| School | Free school meals | Result | Typical for that intake | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clifton Primary SchoolKS2 % | 42% | 65% | 57% | +8 |
| St Mark's RC Primary SchoolKS2 % | 34% | 64% | 59% | +5 |
| St Augustine's CofE Primary SchoolKS2 % | 53% | 57% | 54% | +3 |
| Mossfield Primary SchoolKS2 % | 51% | 55% | 54% | +1 |
Free school meals: pupils eligible now, DfE January 2026 census. The typical-school line is a straight-line fit across every graded school in England. It describes; it doesn’t grade: the School Grade uses results alone.
Salford Council handles applications for every state school in Clifton, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 2 of Clifton’s 5 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Useful: Apply for a primary place (GOV.UK) · Apply for a secondary place (GOV.UK) · How admissions criteria work
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 1 school is at or over it.
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 2 of Clifton’s 6 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
| School | Safeguarding | Achievement | Curriculum and teaching | Inclusion | Attendance and behaviour | Personal development and well-being | Leadership and governance | Early years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kearsley AcademyJuly 2026 | Met | Strong standard | Exceptional | Strong standard | Strong standard | Strong standard | Strong standard | — |
| St Augustine's CofE Primary SchoolMarch 2026 | Met | Needs attention | Expected standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Expected standard | Expected standard | Strong standard |
Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.
| Run by | Schools | Pupils | Their letters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Education TrustKearsley | 1 | 768 | A− |
| Vantage CE Academies TrustSt Augustine's | 1 | 217 | C |
| Salford CouncilMossfield, Clifton, St Mark's, Silverdale | 4 | 785 | CBB− |
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
The state secondary in Clifton teaches 11 to 16. The nearest college is Salford City College, a further-education college 1.7 miles away.
| College | Distance |
|---|---|
| Salford City CollegeFurther-education college · M6 7FR | 1.7 mi |
| Loreto CollegeFurther-education college · M15 5PB | 4.8 mi |
| Holy Cross CollegeFurther-education college · BL9 9BB | 4.9 mi |
| Bury CollegeFurther-education college · BL9 0BG | 5.3 mi |
Clifton has 1 alternative provision school, for pupils who can’t attend mainstream school for a time. A special-school place isn’t applied for like a mainstream one: for a child with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), Salford Council names the school in the plan, after asking the family’s preference. These schools have no letter, because their results don’t compare with mainstream schools’. Their cards ↑
Salford Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Clifton, and the top and bottom of the group.
| # | Town | Schools | KS2 | Attainment 8 | Grade 5+ E&M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amersham Buckinghamshire | A+ | 79% | 64.3 | 83% |
| … | |||||
| 183 | Mirfield West Yorkshire | B− | 62% | 44.1 | 46% |
| 184 | Swallownest and Aston South Yorkshire | B− | 66% | 41.9 | 38% |
| 185 | Marple Greater Manchester | B− | 60% | 46.3 | 47% |
| 186 | Brockworth Gloucestershire | B− | 59% | 47.2 | 47% |
| 187 | Clifton Greater Manchester | B− | 60% | 46.2 | 46% |
| 188 | Southwick West Sussex | B− | 55% | 49.5 | 53% |
| 189 | Wantage Oxfordshire | B− | 62% | 43.4 | 44% |
| 190 | Balderton Nottinghamshire | B− | 58% | 47 | 49% |
| 191 | Rochford Essex | C+ | 58% | 48.3 | 46% |
| … | |||||
| 327 | March Cambridgeshire | D− | 45% | 36.7 | 30% |
Coloured by School Grade.
| Town | Schools | KS2 | Att. 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clifton 6 schools | B− | 60% | 46.2 |
| Swinton 10 schools · 1 mi | B− | 65% | 43.1 |
| Wardley 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 1.3 mi | B | 65% | 45.4 |
| Pendlebury 0 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 1.3 mi | C+ | 59% | 45.7 |
| Prestwich 12 schools · 2.2 mi | B− | 65% | 42.4 |
| Eccles 20 schools · 2.5 mi | B− | 56% | 49.1 |
| Salford 33 schools · 2.5 mi | C | 55% | 45.9 |
| Whitefield 10 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 2.7 mi | C+ | 61% | 45.4 |
Wardley has the best-graded schools nearby (B). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
Clifton’s state schools earn a B− against schools across England: primary results beat 41% of towns in England; secondary results beat 52% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Salford council.
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Clifton Primary School: 65% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
No. The state secondary teaches 11–16; students move at 16 to a college, a sixth form elsewhere or an apprenticeship.
Through Salford Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
1 of 5 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as places, on DfE’s January 2026 census. A full school still admits by its rules, usually distance after siblings.
6 open state-funded schools are located in Clifton’s built-up area: 4 primary, 1 secondary and 1 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.