Whittaker Moss Primary School, Rochdale
Whittaker Moss Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Rochdale. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 4th-highest of the 32 schools in Rochdale with published results, and 3,885th of 14,452 across England. It was 98% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
Whittaker Moss Primary School in detail
Whittaker Moss Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "Please click on the links to the right to access information about the school and view our virtual tour."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, gymnastics, basketball, running, yoga, choir, Lego, cooking, gardening and art.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 86% of Year 6 pupils at Whittaker Moss Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 82% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 73% in Rochdale and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (89% in reading, 82% in maths).
Getting a place at Whittaker Moss Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 59 families put Whittaker Moss Primary School as their first choice and 160 named it as one of their preferences, for 58 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 7 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Whittaker Moss Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Whittaker Moss Primary School are Norden Primary Academy (0.5 miles); St Vincent De Paul Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy (0.7 miles); Caldershaw Primary School (0.7 miles); and Bamford Academy (0.8 miles, Good, 77% reading, 68% maths).
Norden Primary AcademySt Vincent De Paul Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyCaldershaw Primary SchoolBamford Academy
Who goes there
6.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 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 (59%), Asian (35%) and Mixed (5%).
In 2026, 22 pupils (5%) received SEN support and 18 (4.1%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Rochdale Interchange (Manchester Metrolink), about 2.4 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Scarfield Drive (n-bound), 240 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Whittaker Moss Primary School 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
Whittaker Moss Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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
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 agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
6.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 86% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 82% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 85% to 79% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.8
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
29.6
KS2
13
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Whittaker Moss Primary School
Year 6 Marvel At Mount Cook!
30 Sep 2026
Year 6 Round Off The Year In Style!
18 Jul 2026
School Council Retain Platinum!
18 Jul 2026
End Of Year Special Awards
18 Jul 2026
Children's Champion
8 Jul 2026
School Council Break The Rules Day
7 Jun 2026
From Whittaker Moss Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Whittaker Moss Primary School
Term dates
Whittaker Moss Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Rochdale. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Thursday 3 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Whittaker Moss Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Whittaker Moss Primary 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
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 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 Whittaker Moss Primary School
Will you get a place at Whittaker Moss Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Whittaker Moss Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Whittaker Moss Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Whittaker Moss Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Rochdale, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Whittaker Moss Primary School 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
98%
Near capacity
410 pupils
420 places
10 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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
22
SEN Support
18
EHC Plans
9.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
443
Total Pupils
226
Boys
217
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
21
Teachers
21.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,252
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,064
Per pupil
£2212k
Total funding
£36k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.3%
Overall absence
6.4%
Persistent absence
358
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
Whittaker Moss Primary School
Questions parents ask about Whittaker Moss Primary School
What are SATs results like at Whittaker Moss Primary School?
Of the pupils at Whittaker Moss Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 86% reached the expected standard in reading and 82% did so in maths.
What is Whittaker Moss Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Whittaker Moss Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2008 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Whittaker Moss Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Whittaker Moss Primary 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 Whittaker Moss Primary School?
Whittaker Moss Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Whittaker Moss Primary School?
Classes at Whittaker Moss Primary School average 29.8 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Whittaker Moss Primary School?
Whittaker Moss Primary School has around 443 pupils on roll. 6% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Whittaker Moss Primary School?
4.3% of sessions were missed at Whittaker Moss Primary School in 2024/25. 6.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Whittaker Moss Primary School?
Apply through Rochdale's coordinated admissions process, naming Whittaker Moss Primary School 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.
What are Whittaker Moss Primary School's term dates?
Whittaker Moss Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Rochdale. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Thursday 3 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027).
How many road collisions happen near Whittaker Moss Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 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 Whittaker Moss Primary School?
Whittaker Moss Primary School is at Highwood, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL11 5XP.
Sources: Rochdale term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)