St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy, Rochdale
St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Rochdale, part of St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 8th-highest of the 8 schools in Rochdale with published results, and 2,892nd of 3,298 across England. It was 87% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Year 7 offers for September 2027: Monday 1 March 2027
Applications closed on 31 October. Late applications are still accepted but considered after on-time ones.
Data last updated 1 Nov 2026
St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 37.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44 in Rochdale and 47 across England.
23% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 41% in Rochdale and 47% in England.
That is down from 39.7 in 2025.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 32.3, against 41.9 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 9.6 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Religious Studies and History.
Getting a place at St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 103 families put St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy as their first choice and 352 named it as one of their preferences, for 127 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 St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy are Kingsway Park High School (0.9 miles, Attainment 8 39.2); The Crompton House Church of England Academy (1.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.5); Hollingworth Academy (2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.6); and E-ACT Royton and Crompton Academy (2.1 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 38.4).
Each of them had higher 2026 results than St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy.
Kingsway Park High SchoolThe Crompton House Church of England AcademyHollingworth AcademyE-ACT Royton and Crompton Academy
The trust
St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy is one of 27 schools run by St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust, an academy trust.
All 27 schools in St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust
Who goes there
43.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 30.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (52%), Black (19%) and Asian (13%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Rochdale Rail Station, about 1.5 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Cuthbert's High School (outside), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy issued 1117 suspensions, 105.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 24 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy are Thornham St. James CofE Primary School (0.6 miles); Holy Family Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.6 miles); St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone (0.7 miles); and Sandbrook Community Primary School (1 mile). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Thornham St. James CofE Primary SchoolHoly Family Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademySt Mary's Church of England Primary School, BalderstoneSandbrook 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 school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in November 2023. Before that, as St Cuthbert's RC High School (URN 105845), it was rated Requires Improvement in March 2022.
At a Glance
43.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Attainment 8 has declined from 39.7 to 37.9 (2025 to 2026), while gCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 29% to 23% (2025 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 37.9 | 22.8% |
| Disadvantaged(82) | - | 32.3 | 13.4% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(115) | - | 41.9 | 29.6% |
| Boys(96) | - | 36.8 | 29.2% |
| Girls(101) | - | 38.8 | 16.8% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(48) | - | 44.5 | 33.3% |
| Non mobile(182) | - | 38.9 | 24.2% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 3 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
Exclusions & Suspensions
24
Permanent exclusions
2.27%
Exclusion rate
1117
Suspensions
105.68%
Suspension rate
273 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,057 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy
Nurseries
The nearest nurseries and pre-schools to St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy, with their latest published grades:
- Red Robin Early Education Ltd. - Pre-school, 0.6 milesOfsted report card, 22 June 2026: Strong standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met
- Pinecone Nursery - Day nursery, 0.7 miles
- Sunflower Nurseries Limited - Day nursery, 0.7 milesOfsted, 24 April 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Laroche Day Care Nursery - Day nursery, 0.7 milesOfsted report card, 25 August 2026: Strong standard in 1 area, Expected standard in 5 areas; safeguarding standards met
- Georgie Porgie's Nursery Kirkholt - Pre-school, 0.8 milesOfsted, 8 September 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
Term dates
St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary 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
You apply to the council where you live. St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary 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
- 11
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 4 serious and 6 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
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 are DfT estimates (severity adjustment). Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy
Will you get a place at St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy?
For 2026 entry it had 103 first choices for 127 places. The report sets your home postcode against these figures.
£9.99 once (inc. VAT; £19.99 for up to three schools), or Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time. What's in the report
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
87%
Available places
1,058 pupils
1,219 places
161 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
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: Every first choice offered
Future places in the local planning area
DfE estimates the Rochdale Township Secondary planning area (Rochdale) will have 293 spare secondary places in 2027/28.
Source: Department for Education, School capacity: Academic year 2024/25 (published 19 March 2026), estimates of future school place demand by planning area. Council pupil forecasts against reported places, counting places councils and DfE plan to add or remove; rounded to whole places. Explore Education Statistics
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
175
SEN Support
41
EHC Plans
21.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,023
Total Pupils
496
Boys
527
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
67
Teachers
15.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,722
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,865
Per pupil
£9024k
Total funding
£486k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
10.6%
Overall absence
32.7%
Persistent absence
1,151
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
St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy
Showing 10 of 12 linked schools
Questions parents ask about St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy
What are GCSE results like at St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 37.9. 23% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?
St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in November 2023. Before that, as St Cuthbert's RC High School (URN 105845), it was rated Requires Improvement in March 2022.
Is it hard to get a place at St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy?
St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 87% of its 1219 places.
How big are the classes at St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy?
Classes at St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy average 23 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy?
St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy has around 1023 pupils on roll. 43% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy?
10.6% of sessions were missed at St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy in 2024/25. 32.7% of pupils were persistently absent.
How many road collisions happen near St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 4 serious and 6 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 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 St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy?
St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy is at Shaw Road, Thornham, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL16 4RX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)