Wardle Academy
Secondary · Academy converter · Ages 11–16 · Rochdale
Last distance offered · Year 7 2026
1.331 miles
Published by Rochdale Borough Council · offers on 2 March 2026
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
Wardle Academy is a secondary school in Rochdale for ages 11–16 (academy converter). Its latest Ofsted outcome is School remains Good, from the inspection on 20 October 2022. Rochdale has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2026 entry.
Wardle Academy catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Year 7 2026 | 1.331 mi |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- 30.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, against a middle figure of 43.2% across the 8 nearest secondary schools in Rochdale.
- Year 7 2026 had 259 first-choice applications for 264 offers; 251 offers went to first-choice families, and 8 first-choice families were not offered a place.
- In 2024/25, 39% of pupils got grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths (England 45%), with an Attainment 8 score of 44.1 (England 46).
- The 2024/25 GCSE English and maths result was the 4th highest of 8 schools: this one and the 7 of the 8 nearest secondary schools in Rochdale that have results.
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Rochdale schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- Birch Road, Wardle, Rochdale, OL12 9RD
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–16
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- Rochdale
- Pupils on roll
- 1,366 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 30.2% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 16.6
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
School remains Good Inspected 20 October 2022
Strengths
- “Pupils at Wardle Academy feel safe and happy.”
- “They value the strong relationships that they have with staff.”
- “The ‘Wardle Way’ mission is lived out through all aspects of school life, supporting pupils both academically and pastorally.”
To improve
- “However, in a small number of subjects, teachers have not used assessment strategies as well to identify the gaps in pupils’ learning.”
- “This means that pupils’ knowledge of these subjects is not as secure.”
- “However, some pupils reported that in some areas of school, pupils’ behaviour is not as strong.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 8 December 2022 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| GCSE English and maths, grade 5 or above (2024/25) | 39% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 44.1 | 46 |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Year 7 entry: 259 first-preference applications, 264 offers in total, 251 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby secondary schools
Straight-line distance, in Rochdale.
- Falinge Park High School 2.1 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Hollingworth Academy 2.5 mi Good Last distance published
- Kingsway Park High School 2.7 mi Some aspects not as strong Last distance published
- Oulder Hill Leadership Academy 3.0 mi Not judged Last distance published
- St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy 3.6 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Matthew Moss High School 3.8 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Newhouse Academy 5.5 mi Requires improvement Last distance published
- Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College 5.5 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published