OFSTED
20 October 2022
Latest ungraded inspection
Latest published outcome
School remains Good
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy converter
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Rochdale
Trust
WATERGROVE TRUST
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
1,366
1,366 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
666
48.8% of pupils
Male pupils
700
51.2% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
5.4 pts
above England
School
30.2%
Rochdale
33.0%
North West
28.5%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
9.8 pts
below England
School
10.5%
Rochdale
27.4%
North West
18.1%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
0.2 pts
above England
School
1.2%
Rochdale
0.5%
North West
0.8%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
78.7%
1,075
Pakistani
10.0%
136
Any other Asian background
1.8%
25
White and Asian
1.7%
23
Any other White background
1.6%
22
Any other Mixed background
1.1%
15
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
17.6%
240 of
1,366 pupils
3.3 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
1.8 pts
below
England
6.0%
1.4 pts
below
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
44.1
4.9 pts
above England
Latest published: -0.49 · 2023/24
Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
8.97%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
2.75 pts
higher than
England
School
8.97%
Rochdale
6.78%
North West
6.25%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
27.11%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
11.30 pts
higher than
England
School
27.11%
Rochdale
18.20%
North West
15.89%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
3.48%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
1.67 pts
higher than
England
School
3.48%
Rochdale
2.12%
North West
1.75%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open secondary schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
113.8%
21.5 pts
above England
Wardle Academy
113.8%
Rochdale
95.0%
North West
91.8%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.