Didsbury High School
Free schools secondary school in Manchester (Manchester).
Location
iSchool location from Get Information about Schools. Nearby schools are coloured by phase. Open Map+ for a full-screen map with neighbourhood deprivation (England only).About
Didsbury High School is a secondary free school for 11-18 year old students in South Manchester run by the Laurus Trust . In 2023, the school received its first Ofsted inspection and was graded Outstanding in every area. Didsbury High School is a non-selective, non-denominational free school.
It opened in September 2019, initially providing 210 Year 7 places in eight form groups. The school now has all seven year groups with a student population that exceeds 1,100. This includes our academic Sixth Form for 300 students. Our students have access to state-of-the-art facilities in a modern building behind Didsbury Point, adjacent to the Siemens building.
You can discover more about our curriculum on our curriculum and assessment pages . Since the very moment Didsbury High School opened its doors to students, Katie has been part of the school's leadership team, striving for brilliant outcomes for the students.
She has been the school's Deputy Head over the last couple of years and feels extremely privileged to have become the school's second ever Head. Katie is absolutely committed to making Didsbury High School a true community school; a school the staff, students and local residents are extremely proud of.
In the school’s own words, from the school website.
Enrichment
6 activitiesiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Badminton
- Basketball
- Cricket
- Dance
- Football
- Netball
Awards
2 awardsiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Duke of EdinburghPersonal development
- Healthy SchoolsHealth and wellbeing
Key facts
- URN
- 143729
- Type
- Free schools
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Sixth form
- Has a sixth form
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Local authority
- Manchester
- Constituency
- Manchester Withington
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 2019
Governing body (9 current, 2 former)
iAcademy trust: local governing body and trust board.Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs Jane Game | Chair of Local Governing Body | Appointed by GB/board | since 2025 · until 2028 |
Full governing body
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs Bridget Moss | Local Governor | Elected by parents | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Mrs Joanne Taylor | Local Governor | Elected by parents | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Mrs Marie Hopkins | Local Governor | Elected by school staff | since 2026 · until 2029 |
| Mr Robert Watt | Local Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Dr Hatana El-Jarn | Local Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Miss Katie Houghton | Local Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2023 · until 2028 |
| Mohamed Abadi | Local Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mrs Jane Game | Local Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2021 · until 2028 |
| Mrs Michelle Hill Former | Local Governor | Elected by school staff | since 2022 · term ended 2026 |
| Mr Steven Wane Former | Local Governor | Elected by school staff | since 2021 · term ended 2025 |
Source: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (governance records, as at 25 October 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Names are shown as published; there are no addresses or contact details. Current and former are worked out from term end dates when the page loads. Object or ask for removal · Report an issue with this record