Edgar Wood Academy, Heywood

Ofsted's report card from its 2 June 2026 inspection grades Edgar Wood Academy on 6 areas: 6 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils typically progress well through the curriculum in each subject."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders have prioritised increasing pupils' attendance."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Following a period of turbulence in staffing, leaders have now established stability."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders have prioritised ensuring that all pupils are known and valued."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Since the last inspection, those responsible for governance have taken decisive and effective action to ensure that they have the expertise needed to raise standards in the school."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have designed a comprehensive programme for personal development and wellbeing."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should continue to embed effective use of assessment strategies, so that staff use assessment information to inform their teaching consistently well"; "Leaders should continue to embed strategies for improving pupils' handwriting, so that pupils can communicate fluently and effectively in writing across the curriculum"; "Leaders should continue to implement their strategy to reduce any ongoing barriers to pupils' attendance, so that the number of pupils who attend school regularly continues to increase".

From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Edgar Wood Academy. It is an honour and a privilege to be Headteacher at Edgar Wood Academy (EWA). My commitment is to deliver an outstanding, comprehensive education for all our students. I am proud to lead a school where relationships matter, behaviour is calm and every student is supported to succeed."

In 2026, pupils at Edgar Wood Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 41.4, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44 in Rochdale and 47 across England.

32% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 41% in Rochdale and 47% in England.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 37.5, against 44.5 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 7 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 20 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Art and Design.

For September 2026 entry, 52 families put Edgar Wood Academy as their first choice and 198 named it as one of their preferences, for 76 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Edgar Wood Academy are St Anne's Church of England Academy (0.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.3); Newhouse Academy (1.4 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 44); Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School (1.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46); and Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College (1.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 51.8).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Edgar Wood Academy.

Edgar Wood Academy is one of 5 schools run by Altus Education Partnership, an academy trust.

56 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Edgar Wood Academy (as of September 2025): 32% would recommend the school, 57% say their child is happy there and 20% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (64%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (20%).

42.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

Edgar Wood Academy had 55 teachers in 2026, one for every 11 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical secondary school, at about one for every 17.

The nearest tram or metro stop is Heywood (East Lancashire Railway), about 2 miles away in a straight line.

2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Heywood Old Road (by), 320 metres away.

In 2024/25, Edgar Wood Academy issued 432 suspensions, 67.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 8 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Edgar Wood Academy are Bowlee Park Community Primary School (0.4 miles); St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Middleton (0.7 miles); Parkfield Primary School (1.1 miles); and Middleton Parish Church School (1.1 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.