Rochdale’s state schools trail 75% of towns in England on results
A strong pass in English and maths, grade 5 or better, went to 37% of Rochdale’s pupils, below both Greater Manchester’s towns (44%) and towns in England (45%). Rochdale grades C for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #74 of 81 in Greater Manchester. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
None of the 6 state secondaries in Rochdale keeps pupils past 16. Rochdale Sixth Form College, a 16–19 school, takes 0 students; most others go to a further-education or sixth-form college, or a sixth form in another town. After 16 ↓
Healey Foundation beats its intake
Schools with more pupils on free school meals usually get lower results. At Healey Foundation Primary School, 23% of pupils are on free school meals and 76% meet the expected standard; a typical school in England with that intake reaches 62%. Results and intake ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Rochdale grades C for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (59% meet the standard)Better than 35% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (42.3 and 37%)Better than 24% of towns in England
Each of Rochdale’s 32 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)
Each of Rochdale’s 6 secondaries: Attainment 8 (2025/26)
England’s average schoolRochdale’s average school
The primary figure: 32 primaries in the town, 4,434 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 6 secondaries in the town, 1,459 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.
Map
Where Rochdale’s 44 state schools are
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 Rochdale’s built-up area.
PrimarySecondary (named)Special, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table. The 6 secondaries are named.
Results and intake
Which schools do better than their intake suggests
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.
Primaries: KS2 reading, writing and maths against free school meals
Secondaries: Attainment 8 against free school meals
The share of pupils on free school meals runs from 6% at Whittaker Moss Primary School to 65% at Sandbrook Community Primary School. Against schools with the same intake, Caldershaw Primary School does best: 86% with 10% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 66%. 17 of 32 primaries and 2 of 6 secondaries are above the line.
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.
Getting a place
How school places work in Rochdale
Rochdale Council handles applications for every state school in Rochdale, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.
When a school is full
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. 13 of Rochdale’s 39 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.
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 11 schools are at or over it.
Wardle114%
St John's111%
Marland Hill incl. nursery110%
Deeplish incl. nursery105%
Ashfield Valley incl. nursery104%
Kentmere incl. nursery102%
Shawclough incl. nursery102%
Whittaker Moss incl. nursery102%
St John's Roman incl. nursery101%
Castleton incl. nursery101%
Show all 39 schools
Falinge Park High100%
Matthew Moss High100%
Caldershaw incl. nursery100%
Healey Foundation100%
St Mary's99%
Kingsway Park High97%
St Patrick's Roman97%
St Peter's incl. nursery96%
Holy Family Roman incl. nursery94%
Belfield Community incl. nursery94%
St Gabriel's Roman94%
Hamer incl. nursery94%
Lowerplace94%
Sandbrook incl. nursery93%
Sacred Heart Roman incl. nursery91%
Broadfield incl. nursery91%
Heybrook incl. nursery90%
Spotland incl. nursery89%
Brimrod incl. nursery88%
Greenbank incl. nursery88%
Norden incl. nursery88%
St Edward's87%
All Saints incl. nursery86%
St Cuthbert's Roman85%
St Vincent De Paul Roman85%
Bamford83%
Oulder Hill Leadership77%
Meanwood Community Nursery and incl. nursery70%
Alice Ingham Roman70%
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
The schools
44 state schools in Rochdale
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.
Letters of Rochdale’s schoolsA5B13C12D86 without a letter
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.
Ofsted
Ofsted report cards
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Outstanding 1Good 10Report card 3Requires improvement 3Inadequate 1Ungraded inspection only 25No published grade 1
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. 3 of Rochdale’s 44 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.
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
St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy TrustSt Cuthbert's Roman, St Vincent De Paul Roman, St Patrick's Roman, Holy Family Roman, Sacred Heart Roman, St John's Roman, Alice Ingham Roman
7
2,441
DBB−A−BB+C−
Watergrove TrustWardle, Falinge Park High, Matthew Moss High, Sandbrook, Kentmere, St Mary's
6
5,052
C+C+CC−B+D
Altus Education PartnershipKingsway Park High, Bamford, Caldershaw, Rochdale Sixth Form College
4
1,848
DB−A+
Harmony Trust LtdSpotland, Norden
2
790
C−
Star AcademiesOulder Hill Leadership
1
1,152
B
Focus Academy Trust (UK) LtdDeeplish
1
452
B+
Cranmer Education TrustSt John's
1
117
C−
Rochdale CouncilHeybrook, Lowerplace, Marland Hill, St Peter's, Whittaker Moss, Belfield Community, Shawclough, Greenbank, Broadfield, Redwood, Castleton, Hamer, St Edward's, Meanwood Community Nursery and, Ashfield Valley, Healey Foundation, Brimrod, All Saints, St Gabriel's Roman, Springside, Raise Rochdale Pupil Referral Service, Howard Street Nursery
22
7,341
B−DCB−A−C+C+C+DDB−DDBAB−A−C−
After 16
Where Rochdale’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
All 6 state secondaries in Rochdale teach 11 to 16. Rochdale Sixth Form College is a state 16–19 school in the city. The nearest college is Hopwood Hall College, a further-education college 3.5 miles away.
Special schools and alternative provision in Rochdale
Rochdale has 2 special schools (Redwood and Springside: 517 pupils) and 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), Rochdale 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 ↑
Rochdale Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Towns its size
52nd of 62 English towns and cities of 78,000 to 150,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns and cities either side of Rochdale, and the top and bottom of the group.
Littleborough has the best-graded schools nearby (B+). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
•
Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
•
Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Rochdale: 4% (England’s average school: 8%).
•
Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
•
Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
•
Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
•
Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
•
Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
•
Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Rochdale
Are schools in Rochdale good?
Rochdale’s state schools earn a C against schools across England: primary results beat 35% of towns in England; secondary results beat 24% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Rochdale council.
What is the best secondary school in Rochdale?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, Oulder Hill Leadership Academy: Attainment 8 of 45.8 and 51% with grade 5+ in English and maths, against 47.3 at the average school in England. Results are one measure; distance decides most places.
What is the best primary school in Rochdale?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Caldershaw Primary School: 86% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Rochdale secondary schools have sixth forms?
No. All 6 state secondaries teach 11–16; students move at 16 to a college, a sixth form elsewhere or an apprenticeship.
How do I apply for a school place in Rochdale?
Through Rochdale Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many schools in Rochdale are full?
11 of 39 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.
How many state schools are in Rochdale?
44 open state-funded schools are located in Rochdale’s built-up area: 33 primary, 6 secondary and 5 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.
