Norden Primary Academy, Rochdale
Norden Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Rochdale, part of The Harmony Trust Ltd. It was 82% full in 2025.
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Rochdale (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Norden Primary Academy in detail
Norden Primary Academy in its own words
In its own words: "Equal opportunities for all to grow and fulfil their academic and personal potential Responsible and respectful members of our society equipped with a thirst for learning and curious minds."
From the headteacher's welcome: "Our vision is, 'Being the best we can be' which underpins our commitment and dedication to achieve excellence in all areas of school life. It is full of information that will help you familiarise yourself with many of our structures and routines. I trust you will find it useful. Choosing the right school for your child is vitally important."
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
Norden Primary Academy has no published results of its own yet. Before it took its current form in 2025, as Norden Community Primary School (URN 105774), 72% of its Year 6 pupils reached the expected standard in reading and 70% in maths in the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments.
Getting a place at Norden Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 24 families put Norden Primary Academy as their first choice and 139 named it as one of their preferences, for 39 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Norden Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Norden Primary Academy are Whittaker Moss Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 86% reading, 82% maths); St Vincent De Paul Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy (0.5 miles); Caldershaw Primary School (0.5 miles); and Bamford Academy (1 mile, Good, 77% reading, 68% maths).
Whittaker Moss Primary SchoolSt Vincent De Paul Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyCaldershaw Primary SchoolBamford Academy
The trust
Norden Primary Academy is one of 17 schools run by The Harmony Trust Ltd, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
14.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
Norden Primary Academy has a SEN unit for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 22 places, 22 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Rochdale Interchange (Manchester Metrolink), about 2.1 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Norden Community School (outside), 50 metres away.
Sources: DfE school performance data; GIAS establishment links; DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport)
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Norden Primary Academy has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in March 2025. Before that, as Norden Community Primary School (URN 105774), it was rated Good in October 2012.
At a Glance
14.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
SEN unit: Speech and language, Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
25.0
Avg class size
20.6
Infant (KS1)
28.3
KS2
14
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
Results at Norden Community Primary School before it took its current form in 2025 (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25Published for Norden Community Primary School (URN 105774), the school Norden Primary Academy replaced. There are no figures for Norden Primary Academy yet, so these are shown separately.
KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 72% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 56% to 70% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 60% (2024 to 2025).
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Norden Primary Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Norden Primary Academy.
- Edstart Rochdale Clubs Ltd830m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Norden Primary Academy 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 Norden Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Norden Primary Academy 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
- 3
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 1 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Norden Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Norden Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Norden Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Norden Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Norden Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Rochdale, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Norden Primary Academy for 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
82%
Available places
346 pupils
420 places
74 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
3,242
Applications
2,831
Got 1st preference
89.2%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All primary applications across Rochdale council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
47
SEN Support
17
EHC Plans
17.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Norden Primary Academy has a SEN unit for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 22 places, 22 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
370
Total Pupils
183
Boys
187
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
18
Teachers
20.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,766
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,189
Per pupil
£1962k
Total funding
£80k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Absence at Norden Community Primary School before it took its current form in 20252024/25
Published for Norden Community Primary School (URN 105774), the school Norden Primary Academy replaced. There are no figures for Norden Primary Academy yet, so these are shown separately.
5.8%
Overall absence
13.1%
Persistent absence
329
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Norden Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Norden Primary Academy
Are there exam results for Norden Primary Academy?
Norden Primary Academy has no published results of its own yet. Before it took its current form in 2025, as Norden Community Primary School (URN 105774), 72% of its Year 6 pupils reached the expected standard in reading and 70% in maths in the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments.
What is Norden Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Norden Primary Academy has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in March 2025. Before that, as Norden Community Primary School (URN 105774), it was rated Good in October 2012.
What is the catchment area for Norden Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Norden Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Rochdale allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Norden Primary Academy?
Norden Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 82% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Norden Primary Academy?
Classes at Norden Primary Academy average 25 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Norden Primary Academy?
Norden Primary Academy has around 370 pupils on roll. 14% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Norden Primary Academy have specialist SEN provision?
Norden Primary Academy has a SEN unit for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 22 places, 22 pupils on roll.
How do I apply to Norden Primary Academy?
Apply through Rochdale's coordinated admissions process, naming Norden Primary Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Norden Primary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Norden Primary Academy: Edstart Rochdale Clubs Ltd (830m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Norden Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 1 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Norden Primary Academy?
Norden Primary Academy is at Shawfield Lane, Norden, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL12 7RQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)