Saddleworth School

About Saddleworth School

Saddleworth School’s headline Progress 8 score of -0.01 places it comfortably above the Oldham local authority average of -0.13 for secondary schools, meaning its pupils make very slightly more academic progress than the typical student in the borough. That might not sound dramatic, but in a local context where only one of sixteen secondary schools holds an Outstanding Ofsted rating, it’s a solid, above-average performance. The school ranks fourth out of twelve schools in Oldham on this metric, putting it in the top third locally and around the national median (49th percentile). Digging into the breakdown, the school’s strongest subject area is open subjects (Progress 8 score of +0.09) and maths (+0.09), while English is essentially flat (+0.01). The weakest area is the EBacc subjects (-0.20), which suggests the school’s core academic offer is a mixed bag. Still, for a school currently rated Requires Improvement by Ofsted, these results are notably better than the LA norm.

On attainment, Saddleworth’s Attainment 8 score of 49.3 is a solid benchmark, and 53.6% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths (the basics95 measure), compared with 74.5% at the grade 4 threshold. The EBacc average point score sits at 4.37, and just under a third of pupils (30.9%) entered the full EBacc combination. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2024 judged every category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management — as Requires Improvement. That’s a downgrade from its previous Good rating in 2015, and the report notes specific weaknesses. However, the Progress 8 data suggests that academic outcomes are not the main concern; the school is delivering results broadly in line with national averages, even if the inspection team found issues with the consistency of teaching and curriculum delivery.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 532 applications for 294 places, with 290 first-preference applications and 271 first-preference offers. That 1.81 oversubscription ratio tells you it’s a popular choice locally despite the Ofsted rating. Facilities are extensive for an 11-16 state school, including a swimming pool, theatre, astro turf, and a dedicated sixth form centre (though the school itself only goes to 16). SEND provision is broad, covering specific learning difficulties, autism, speech and language needs, and physical disabilities. The club offer is decent — film club, debate, orchestra, coding, eco club — and sports include football, rugby, cricket, dance and gymnastics. This is a school that suits families who value strong local reputation and decent academic outcomes over an outstanding inspection label, and who are prepared for a competitive admissions process.

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