Matthew Moss High School, Rochdale
Matthew Moss High School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Rochdale, part of Watergrove Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 6th-highest of the 8 schools in Rochdale with published results, and 2,357th of 3,298 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Rochdale (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Matthew Moss High School in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Matthew Moss High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 41.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44 in Rochdale and 47 across England.
35% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 41% in Rochdale and 47% in England.
That is up from 39.4 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.03: pupils made about average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 38.9, against 44.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 5.7 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Geography.
Getting a place at Matthew Moss High School
For September 2026 entry, 227 families put Matthew Moss High School as their first choice and 627 named it as one of their preferences, for 227 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. 23 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Matthew Moss High School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Matthew Moss High School are Oulder Hill Leadership Academy (1.1 miles, Attainment 8 45.8); Newhouse Academy (1.8 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 44); Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College (1.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 51.8); and Falinge Park High School (1.8 miles, Attainment 8 43.2).
Each of them had higher 2026 results than Matthew Moss High School.
Oulder Hill Leadership AcademyNewhouse AcademyHoly Family Roman Catholic and Church of England CollegeFalinge Park High School
The trust
Matthew Moss High School is one of 9 schools run by Watergrove Trust, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 236 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 88% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 42% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.
Who goes there
44.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 48.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (49%), White British (28%) and Mixed (8%).
In 2026, 123 pupils (10.3%) received SEN support and 77 (6.4%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Matthew Moss High School has a resourced provision for hearing impairment: 12 places, 12 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Castleton (Manchester) Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Marland Fold (opposite), 110 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Matthew Moss High School issued 293 suspensions, 24 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 5 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Matthew Moss High School are Marland Hill Community Primary School (0.6 miles), St Edward's Church of England Primary School (0.7 miles), All Souls Church of England Primary School (0.7 miles) and Brimrod Community Primary School (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Marland Hill Community Primary SchoolSt Edward's Church of England Primary SchoolAll Souls Church of England Primary SchoolBrimrod Community Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from April 2018, 8 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its April 2018 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
About
Matthew Moss High School is a coeducational secondary school located in Rochdale in the English county of Greater Manchester.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
44.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Hearing
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from -0.15 to -0.03 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 41.5 to 41.9 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 39% to 35% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 41.9 | 34.7% |
| Disadvantaged(110) | - | 38.9 | 26.4% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(126) | - | 44.6 | 42.1% |
| Boys(119) | - | 42.0 | 36.1% |
| Girls(117) | - | 41.8 | 33.3% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(117) | - | 44.8 | 42.7% |
| Non mobile(226) | - | 42.5 | 35.8% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 1 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 236 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
5
Permanent exclusions
0.41%
Exclusion rate
293
Suspensions
24.00%
Suspension rate
142 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,221 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Matthew Moss High School
Term dates
Matthew Moss High School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Rochdale's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Matthew Moss High School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Matthew Moss High School is in Rochdale; for families living there:
- Rochdale's school travel policy: Home to School Transport Policy
- How to apply: Apply for school travel expenses
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt.
3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Rochdale is 10 (the median across 106 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Matthew Moss High School
Will you get a place at Matthew Moss High School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Matthew Moss High School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Matthew Moss High School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Matthew Moss High School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Rochdale, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Matthew Moss High School for 2020 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Rochdale got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
99%
Near capacity
1,217 pupils
1,229 places
12 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Rochdale
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Rochdale
Across Rochdale council
Places available
3,030
Applications
2,860
Got 1st preference
86.8%
Got preferred school
97.0%
All secondary applications across Rochdale council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(2)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
123
SEN Support
77
EHC Plans
16.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Matthew Moss High School has a resourced provision for hearing impairment: 12 places, 12 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,198
Total Pupils
634
Boys
564
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
75
Teachers
16.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,315
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,627
Per pupil
£10086k
Total funding
£544k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.4%
Overall absence
24.4%
Persistent absence
1,273
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Matthew Moss High School
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Matthew Moss High School
What are GCSE results like at Matthew Moss High School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Matthew Moss High School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 41.9. 35% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Matthew Moss High School's Ofsted rating?
Matthew Moss High School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Matthew Moss High School?
No fixed boundary. When Matthew Moss High School is oversubscribed, Rochdale allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Matthew Moss High School?
Matthew Moss High School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Matthew Moss High School?
Classes at Matthew Moss High School average 23 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Matthew Moss High School?
Matthew Moss High School has around 1198 pupils on roll. 44% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Matthew Moss High School have specialist SEN provision?
Matthew Moss High School has a resourced provision for hearing impairment: 12 places, 12 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Matthew Moss High School?
8.4% of sessions were missed at Matthew Moss High School in 2024/25. 24.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Matthew Moss High School?
Apply through Rochdale's coordinated admissions process, naming Matthew Moss High School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Matthew Moss High School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt. 3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Rochdale is 10 (the median across 106 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Matthew Moss High School?
Matthew Moss High School is at Matthew Moss Lane, Marland, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL11 3LU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)