Best secondary schools in Rochdale

Hollingworth Academy is the top-ranked secondary school in Rochdale (LocaleIQ score 60.9 out of 100). Ofsted: Good. Attainment 8 51.1. The score combines Ofsted outcome, Progress 8 and Attainment 8, and cohort-weighted percentile ranks within the Rochdale secondary pool.

All Souls Church of England Primary School tops the Rochdale primary school ranking (LocaleIQ 95.5). Ofsted: Outstanding. KS2 expected 87% · higher 7%. See the full primary school ranking for Rochdale for the complete list.

Attainment 8 measures average GCSE grades across eight subjects; Progress 8 compares actual grades against predictions based on KS2 — a positive figure means pupils outperformed expectations. Top performers in Rochdale: Hollingworth Academy (Attainment 8 51.1); Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School (Attainment 8 40.9); Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College (Attainment 8 43.4). Both metrics feed into the LocaleIQ secondary school score.

None of the ranked secondary schools in Rochdale currently hold an Outstanding Ofsted rating. 9 schools are rated Good — the highest grade in the Rochdale pool. Ofsted re-inspects on a risk-based cycle, so ratings can change; check individual profiles for inspection dates.

This ranking covers 11 secondary schools in the Rochdale comparison pool. Schools without sufficient published data are excluded but may appear in the LocaleIQ directory.

By average LocaleIQ score across postcode areas, M24 has the strongest cluster — 31.8 average across 3 ranked secondary schools. OL16 sits at the lower end (23.8 average). School shortlists need postcode anchors because valley geography clusters variation. Postcode averages mask individual variation — always review each school's full profile.