Wardle Academy, Rochdale
Wardle Academy 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 December 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 4th-highest of the 8 schools in Rochdale with published results, and 1,892nd of 3,298 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2017)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Below 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
Wardle Academy in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Wardle Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 44.6, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44 in Rochdale and 47 across England.
38% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 41% in Rochdale and 47% in England.
That is in line with 2025, when the score was 44.1.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.49: pupils made below 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 37.7, against 47.3 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 9.6 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 26 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Geography.
Getting a place at Wardle Academy
For September 2026 entry, 259 families put Wardle Academy as their first choice and 552 named it as one of their preferences, for 264 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 8 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Wardle Academy are Falinge Park High School (2.1 miles, Attainment 8 43.2); Whitworth Community High School (2.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47.4); Hollingworth Academy (2.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.6); and Kingsway Park High School (2.7 miles, Attainment 8 39.2).
Wardle Academy's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Falinge Park High SchoolWhitworth Community High SchoolHollingworth AcademyKingsway Park High School
The trust
Wardle Academy is one of 9 schools run by Watergrove Trust, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 253 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 86% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 50% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.
Who goes there
10.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (79%) and Asian (13%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Smithy Bridge Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Wardle Academy (by), 50 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Wardle Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 4th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Wardle Academy issued 428 suspensions, 31.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 5 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Wardle Academy are St Andrew's Church of England Primary School and Nursery (0.4 miles); St James' Church of England Primary School (0.5 miles); Kentmere Primary Academy (0.8 miles); and Alice Ingham Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
St Andrew's Church of England Primary School and NurserySt James' Church of England Primary SchoolKentmere Primary AcademyAlice Ingham Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy
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); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from December 2017, 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 December 2017 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
30.2%
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
Progress 8 has declined from -0.20 to -0.49 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 44.5 to 44.6 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 38% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 44.6 | 37.8% |
| Disadvantaged(80) | - | 37.7 | 25% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(206) | - | 47.3 | 42.7% |
| Boys(147) | - | 43.6 | 37.4% |
| Girls(139) | - | 45.6 | 38.1% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(27) | - | 41.5 | 25.9% |
| Non mobile(277) | - | 44.9 | 39% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 6 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 253 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
5
Permanent exclusions
0.37%
Exclusion rate
428
Suspensions
31.38%
Suspension rate
136 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,364 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Wardle Academy
Term dates
Wardle 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
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Wardle Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Wardle 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
- 0
- 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: none fatal, 1 serious and 2 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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 Wardle Academy
Will you get a place at Wardle Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Wardle Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Wardle Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Wardle Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Rochdale, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Wardle Academy for 2014 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
1,359 pupils
1,375 places
16 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(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
177
SEN Support
63
EHC Plans
17.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,366
Total Pupils
700
Boys
666
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
87
Teachers
15.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,179
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,076
Per pupil
£10299k
Total funding
£425k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.0%
Overall absence
27.1%
Persistent absence
1,409
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
Wardle Academy
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Wardle Academy
What are GCSE results like at Wardle Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Wardle Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 44.6. 38% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Wardle Academy's Ofsted rating?
Wardle Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in December 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Wardle Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Wardle 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 Wardle Academy?
Wardle Academy was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Wardle Academy?
Classes at Wardle Academy average 24.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Wardle Academy?
Wardle Academy has around 1366 pupils on roll. 30% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Wardle Academy?
9% of sessions were missed at Wardle Academy in 2024/25. 27.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Wardle Academy?
Apply through Rochdale's coordinated admissions process, naming Wardle Academy 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 Wardle Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 2 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 Wardle Academy?
Wardle Academy is at Birch Road, Wardle, Rochdale, Greater Manchester, OL12 9RD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)