Since the very moment Didsbury High School opened its door to their students, Katie has been part of the school’s leadership team, driving 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 become the school’s second ever Head.

Initially a history teacher and Head of House at Cheadle Hulme High School, Katie gained the post of Assistant Head of school for Didsbury the year before it opened. She has been part of the team that saw Didsbury through from conception to reality. Throughout her years at Didsbury Katie’s energy has been placed in ensuring the students at Didsbury become successful, happy and healthy individuals. A mission she will continue to strive for now as Head.

Katie has lived in Manchester since she went to the University of Manchester to read History in 2008. Katie also gained a PGCE, then later a masters in Education, from Manchester Metropolitan University. She now lives in Didsbury with her young family. Katie is also a keen athlete, and has played semi-professional rugby for Sale Sharks. So, although not a born or bred Mancunian, Manchester holds a very special place in her heart.

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.

Didsbury High School is a new secondary free school for 11-18 students in South Manchester. The school is run by the Laurus Trust and replicates the outstanding education already provided by the Trust’s founder school, Cheadle Hulme High School (CHHS), based in Stockport. CHHS is a hugely oversubscribed school and was recently named as one of the UK’s top-performing schools in The Sunday Times, ranking as the 15th non-denominational comprehensive school in Manchester and the North West in the annual Parent Power Survey for 2022 and this year, was awarded ‘Northwest Comprehensive School of the Year 2024’.

Didsbury High School is the most oversubscribed first preference school in Manchester, we are a non-selective, non-denominational school, which opened in September 2019. We currently have students in Years 7 to 11 along with our brand-new sixth form that opened in September 2023 with students now in Year 12 and 13! We currently have almost 1200 students on roll.

The 2023-24 academic year saw Didsbury High Schools first set of GCSE results. 60% of students achieved at least a grade 5 or above in both English and Maths, with the National average being 45%. On top of this, almost 40% of the schools grades were grade 7 or higher. This is particularly impressive considering the range of academically rich subjects that the students were entered for with almost 90% of students being entered for the English Baccalaureate. We could not be prouder of our class of 2024!

Our students have access to state-of-the-art facilities in a brand-new building behind Didsbury Point. Didsbury is a suburban area of Manchester, 4.5 miles south of Manchester City Centre. The location enjoys the advantages of proximity to the open countryside of Cheshire and the Peak District, strong transport links and the cultural and sporting activities of a major city.