Dixons Middleton Academy
Academy converter · 1,319 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 40.3
Voluntary aided school
Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,186of 1,200 places
- Free school meals
- 25.2%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 217
- Ofsted
- School remains Good, 25 May 2022Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Of the 209 pupils who finished Year 11 at Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School in 2023, 33% stayed on in Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School’s own sixth form (Rochdale average 3%), 43% went to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 70 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 46% went to university (Rochdale 35%, England 37%), and 20% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Religious Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 94% of the year group took it, against 31% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 40.9 against 46.1 across England and 40.6 in Rochdale, with 32% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Rochdale and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Rochdale | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 209 | 2,791 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 94% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 87% | 85% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 33% | 3% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 12% | 32% | 13% |
| — further education college | 43% | 48% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 2% | 3% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Rochdale | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 70 | 2,424 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 89% | 75% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 46% | 35% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 20% | 14% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 8% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 8% | 7% |
| Employment | 33% | 24% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 11% | 20% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Rochdale | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 40.9 | 40.6 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 32% | 35% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 61% | 55% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 30% | 30% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.46 | 3.47 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 33% | 40% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 36.5 | 33.7 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 43.0 | 45.1 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 12% | 26% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 213 | 98% | 89% | 8% | 20% | 63% |
| Mathematics | 211 | 97% | 88% | 8% | 22% | 70% |
| English Literature | 205 | 94% | 86% | 10% | 21% | 65% |
| Religious Studies | 203 | 94% | 31% | 12% | 32% | 52% |
| Combined Science | 163 | 75% | 65% | 1% | 9% | 45% |
| History | 99 | 46% | 41% | 20% | 26% | 65% |
| Business Studies | 81 | 37% | 18% | 1% | 20% | 43% |
| Geography | 59 | 27% | 41% | 7% | 25% | 56% |
| Physics | 46 | 21% | 23% | 22% | 46% | 85% |
| Design and Technology | 46 | 21% | 11% | 11% | 23% | 59% |
| Biology | 46 | 21% | 23% | 17% | 45% | 80% |
| Chemistry | 46 | 21% | 23% | 20% | 47% | 83% |
| Spanish | 42 | 19% | 19% | 19% | 27% | 62% |
| Art and Design | 27 | 12% | 7% | 30% | 24% | 74% |
| French | 26 | 12% | 18% | 12% | 29% | 65% |
| Computer Science | 23 | 11% | 13% | 13% | 30% | 52% |
| Physical Education | 16 | 7% | 11% | 50% | 24% | 100% |
| Music | 16 | 7% | 5% | 44% | 33% | 88% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 15 | 7% | 8% | 0% | 21% | 67% |
| Polish | 12 | 6% | 1% | 83% | 84% | 100% |
| Russian | 3 | 1% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Italian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Portuguese | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Chinese | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports / Movement Science | 42 | 62% | — |
| Health Studies | 38 | 56% | — |
| Multimedia | 22 | 32% | — |
| Speech and Drama | 15 | 22% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 6 | 9% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Rochdale | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 129 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 68 | 1,061 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C+ | B- | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 33.25 | 37.04 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B- | B | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 7% | 17% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 25 | 37% | 23% |
| Mathematics | 20 | 29% | 31% |
| Business Studies | 19 | 28% | 13% |
| English Literature | 11 | 16% | 11% |
| Physics | 10 | 15% | 12% |
| Biology | 9 | 13% | 20% |
| English Language | 8 | 12% | 4% |
| Economics | 8 | 12% | 13% |
| Religious Studies | 8 | 12% | 4% |
| Art and Design | 7 | 10% | 1% |
| Chemistry | 7 | 10% | 17% |
| Geography | 7 | 10% | 10% |
| Physical Education | 6 | 9% | 3% |
| History | — | — | 13% |
| Politics | — | — | 6% |
| Polish | — | — | 0% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| Computer Science | — | — | 5% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 18 | 26% | — |
| Multimedia | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 16 | 24% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | OCR Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma at Level 3 | 8 | 12% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 6 | 9% | — |
| Tourism | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
| Speech and Drama | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Rochdale
Falinge Park High School
Academy converter · 1,344 pupils
92% stayed in education · Attainment 8 40.5
Hollingworth Academy
Academy converter · 1,331 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 51.1
Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College
Voluntary aided school · 768 pupils
89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.4
Kingsway Park High School
Academy converter · 1,289 pupils
91% stayed in education · Attainment 8 35.3
Matthew Moss High School
Academy converter · 1,198 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 39.4
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.