Trafford Council has bought the former Loreto Preparatory School site to help support the demand for secondary school places in Altrincham.
Trafford’s Development team have been working alongside Trafford’s Education team and Hamblin Education Trust to secure the site for a proposed expansion of North Cestrian School.
Making use of the adjacent site it will create up to an additional 300 school places.
A feasibility study is now underway, with additional places expected to be added from September 2027. Completion of the permanent expansion is currently estimated for September 2028.
Cllr George Devlin, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Babies, Children and Young People, said:
“Our schools are the envy of the North West. That’s why so many people want their children to be educated here in Trafford.
“I’m delighted that we have made this purchase to help make sure more of our local children can go to an Altrincham school and get them the best start in life."
Cllr Liz Patel, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Economy and Regeneration, said:
“This has been a fantastic team effort.
“Without our endeavours, the site of the old Loreto School could have been lost to education in Trafford forever. I am thrilled that we have been able to work together to secure a great outcome for our children.”
Tim Gartside, CEO of Hamblin Education Trust said:
“From the beginning, we have shared with Trafford Council the vision of ensuring that the former Loreto Prep School site should remain as a site for the education of Altrincham children.
“As North Cestrian School begins its 10th year as a free school we look forward to working with the Council during this exciting phase of growth so that all children from Altrincham can attend a local and highly successful school.”
The extra school places comes after Trafford Council’s schools team worked in partnership with secondary schools to secure 76 additional places in the Sale and Altrincham areas for 2026. A further 85 places achieved across other high schools in Trafford.
These efforts meant that 98.3% of on-time applicants have been offered one of their preferred schools for 2026. That’s up from 96.5% in 2025.
Cllr Devlin added:
“We will continue to monitor secondary school places in Trafford to make sure our borough’s parents are able to access the best schools and get the best education for their children.”