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St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy

Rochdale, OL16 4RXSecondaryAges 11–16MixedState
Ofsted Rating
Requires Improvement
Mar 2022
Progress 8
No data
Competition
0.7×
Not oversubscribed
131 1st-choice / 182 places
Ranking
Not ranked

About St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy

St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School in Rochdale is a mixed state secondary for pupils aged 11 to 16, currently home to 1,057 students against a capacity of 1,200. That leaves some physical room to grow, but demand tells a different story: for the 2025/26 intake, the school received 385 applications for 182 places, making it oversubscribed by a ratio of 2.12 to one. Of those applicants, 131 secured a first-preference offer. The school's intake is notably more disadvantaged than the national average, with 38.5 per cent of pupils eligible for free school meals — well above the typical secondary figure. This context matters when interpreting its Ofsted rating. Under headteacher Emma Keenan, the school was graded Requires Improvement overall in its most recent graded inspection in March 2022, a rating it also held in its previous inspection in 2019. The 2022 report noted that personal development was Good, but behaviour and attitudes, quality of education, and leadership and management all required improvement.

Key Details

School TypeSecondary (State)
Age Range11 to 16 years
GenderMixed
Religious CharacterRoman Catholic
AddressShaw Road, Rochdale, Rochdale, OL16 4RX
HeadteacherEmma Keenan
Local AuthorityRochdale
Number of Pupils1,057
Free School Meals (FSM)38.5%
School Capacity1,057 / 1,200 (88% full)

Ofsted Inspection Breakdown

29 Mar 2022
View Report
Overall Effectiveness
Requires improvement
Quality of Education
Requires improvement
Behaviour & Attitudes
Requires improvement
Personal Development
Good
Leadership & Management
Requires improvement

Source: Ofsted, 24 May 2022. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.

Facilities

8
Science LabsSports HallDining HallSwimming PoolArt StudiosICT SuiteGymnasiumChapel

Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.

Extracurriculars

14

Sports

HockeyFootballRowingMartial ArtsCross CountryRugby

Clubs & Activities

OrchestraDramaDuke of EdinburghFilm ClubChoirNewspaperDebateBook Club

Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.

SEND Support

AutismDyslexiaMental HealthSpeech & LanguageHearingVisionPhysicalLearning DifficultyOther

Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.

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Frequently Asked Questions About St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy

St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy has been rated "Requires Improvement" by Ofsted. This means the school is not yet good, but inspectors believe it can improve with the right support and changes.