Oulder Hill Leadership Academy

State school · Mixed · ages 11–16 · no sixth formRochdale, Rochdale OL11

Four in five Year 11 leavers stay in education, in line with the England rate; most to a sixth form college (43%).

Where this school leads
87%

of Year 11 leavers stayed in education · Rochdale 85% · England 86% · DfE destination measures, pupils who left in 2023

Knowledge sphere of Oulder Hill Leadership Academy: fields of knowledge mapped by the subjects taken here, by ISCED levelLanguage & Communication · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Language & Communication · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 66%Language & Communication · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 32%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Natural Sciences · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 37%Natural Sciences · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 2%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 31%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Health & Safety · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 36%Health & Safety · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Business & Administration · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 5%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 19%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Transversal Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 18%Transversal Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 42%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%LanguageMathsScienceICTEngineeringHealthBusinessLawSocialArtsTransversalGreen
Ofsted
Inspected
Places
—
Pupils
1,152
Free school meals
36.3%

Ofsted: Short inspection, 7 January 2025: see the report · report. Places: the last distance at which places were offered is not on file (it comes from Rochdale’s allocation statistics). Pupils: of 1,500 places. Free school meals: pupils eligible, a measure of family income.

Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Oulder Hill Community School and Language College (URN 105840, until 31 October 2021).

After Year 11 · age 16

Where do pupils go at 16?

87%stayed in education after Year 11
This school87%
Rochdale85%
England86%

DfE Key Stage 4 destination measures · 282 pupils who left Year 11 in 2023

Oulder Hill Leadership Academy has no sixth form. Of the 282 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 43% moved to a sixth form college, 43% to a further education college and 3% started an apprenticeship.

Stayed in education — counted only if the pupil was still there for two terms of the next year; apprenticeships and jobs are counted the same way.

Full breakdown11
MeasureThis schoolRochdaleEngland
Pupils in the cohort2822,791607,348
Any sustained destination91%91%92%
Stayed in education87%85%86%
— school sixth form—3%34%
— sixth form college43%32%13%
— further education college43%48%37%
— other education—2%2%
Apprenticeship3%3%3%
Employment1%2%3%
No sustained destination6%7%6%
Destination unknown3%3%3%
GCSE · Year 11 · 2025

How do GCSE results compare?

44.4Attainment 8 score, out of 90
This school44.4
Rochdale40.6
England46.1

Attainment 8 — average GCSE points across eight subjects, English and maths counted twice; grade 5 in everything scores 50.

DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · 221 pupils in Year 11

37% of pupils here are disadvantaged (England 28%). Disadvantaged pupils here scored 38.0 — above disadvantaged pupils across England (34.9).

46% got grade 5 or above in both English and maths (Rochdale 35%, England 45%).

Grade 5 — a “strong pass”; grade 4 is a “standard pass”. Progress 8 is not published for 2025: this cohort had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020–21, so there is no baseline.

All GCSE measures10
MeasureThis schoolRochdaleEngland
Attainment 8 (average points per pupil)44.440.646.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths46%35%45%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths66%55%65%
Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects81%30%41%
EBacc average point score4.133.474.09
Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort37%40%28%
Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils38.033.734.9
Attainment 8 — other pupils48.145.150.4
Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2)———
English as an additional language29%26%19%
Subjects · 2025

What do pupils study?

57.89%of the Key Stage 3 and GCSE curriculum mapped by the subjects taken here

Mapped — the share of the 2,029 learning outcomes the Department for Education sets for these stages that the subjects taken here cover, weighted by how many pupils take each.

DfE subject entries 2025 · curriculum catalogue by sch.today

Spanish stands out at GCSE — 66% of the year group took it, against 19% across England.

Language & Communication66%
Green & Sustainability42%
Natural Sciences37%
Health & Safety36%
Mathematics & Statistics32%

Fields of knowledge — twelve fields the curriculum catalogue sorts every learning outcome into; the bars show the GCSE and A level ring.

GCSE subjects18

Entries 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.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEnglandGrades 7–9EnglandGrades 4–9
English Language220100%89%15%20%71%
English Literature220100%86%15%21%70%
Mathematics21999%88%13%22%71%
Combined Science19287%65%7%9%59%
Spanish14566%19%8%27%48%
History12657%41%10%26%52%
Geography10347%41%11%25%46%
Religious Studies7936%31%22%32%77%
Fine Art5525%9%20%28%84%
French3114%18%3%29%29%
Physics2310%23%78%46%100%
Chemistry2310%23%61%47%100%
Biology2310%23%70%45%100%
Dance178%1%0%27%41%
Urdu63%1%83%42%83%
Polish42%1%—84%—
Portuguese10%0%—50%—
Chinese10%1%—75%—
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications5
SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Sports Studies81——
Health Studies51——
Computer Appreciation / Introduction50——
Hospitality / Catering Studies36——
Engineering Studies35——
Fields of knowledge, all stages12
Language & Communication74%
Green & Sustainability53%
Natural Sciences49%
Health & Safety47%
Mathematics & Statistics40%
Engineering & Manufacturing37%
Transversal Skills30%
Arts & Humanities26%
Digital & ICT Skills16%
Social & Cultural Skills9%
Law & Public Administration8%
Business & Administration3%

Ideas pupils meet most, weighted by the share of the cohort taking the subjects that teach them:

fraction 15.9percentage 10.6vocabulary 10.5ratio 10.5gradient 8.8translation 8.7power 7.7reflection 7.5particle model 7.0grammar 7.0root 7.0equation 7.0audience 6.7area 6.1energy transfer 6.1standard form 6.0impact 6.0formulae 6.0purpose 5.9evidence 5.7theme 5.7context 5.5scale 5.5change of state 5.4

Coverage counts a subject’s outcomes in proportion to the share of the cohort entered for it; Combined Science counts as two thirds of the three separate sciences. Levels follow ISCED 2011 as UNESCO maps it for the UK: Key Stage 3 is ISCED 2; GCSE and A level are both ISCED 3. Methodology: about the data.

Careers

Which jobs use what’s taught here?

12apprenticeship standards closely match the subjects pupils take

A match of what’s taught, not of entry requirements: the standards whose knowledge and skills share the most ideas with the GCSEs and A levels taken here, weighted by how many pupils take each subject.

Level 3 / Level 6 — England’s qualification levels: 3 is A level standard, 4–5 are higher apprenticeships, 6 is a bachelor’s degree.

Skills England apprenticeship standards (Open Government Licence v3.0) · ESCO occupations, © European Union, matched by sch.today · how the match works

Water industry asset maintenance technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses ratio, area, unit conversion from Biology, Chemistry, Geography and 6 more · jobs: consumer electronics repair technician, industrial electrician, electrician
Process industry manufacturing technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses pressure, conservation of mass, energy change from Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and 3 more · jobs: chemical engineering technician, chemical manufacturing quality technician, chemical production manager
ScientistLevel 6 degree apprenticeship · health and science · uses conclusion, data interpretation, sampling technique from Biology, Chemistry, Geography and 3 more · jobs: physicist, analytical chemist, geneticist
More apprenticeships9
Geoscientist (integrated degree)Level 6 degree apprenticeship · health and science · uses data interpretation, climate change, conduct field work from Biology, Chemistry, Geography and 3 more · jobs: geologist, geological engineer, exploration geologist
Science manufacturing technician 2023Level 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses unit conversion, graph, pressure from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and 2 more · jobs: pharmaceutical engineer, chemical manufacturing quality technician, pharmacy technician
Battery manufacturing technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses area, unit conversion, volume from Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and 2 more · jobs: battery test technician
Data technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · digital · uses mean, integer, presentation from English Language, Geography, Mathematics and 2 more · jobs: data analyst, database administrator, data scientist
Non-destructive technologies technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses ratio, measurement, data interpretation from Biology, Geography, Mathematics and 3 more
Storyboard artistLevel 7 degree apprenticeship · creative and design · uses presentation, accuracy, interpretation from Art and Design, English Language, Geography and 5 more · jobs: storyboard artist
Production assistant - screen and audioLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · creative and design · uses spelling, punctuation, grammar from English Literature, English, Modern Foreign Language · jobs: factory hand, supply chain assistant, management assistant
Water industry network technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses standard form, unit conversion, volume from Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and 2 more · jobs: sewerage network operative, product quality inspector, sewerage maintenance technician
Junior visual effects - VFX artist or assistant technical director - ATDLevel 4 (higher) apprenticeship · creative and design · uses scale, data collection, computer systems from Art and Design, Chemistry, Physics and 4 more · jobs: 3D modeller, technical director, animation layout artist
Admissions

How do you get a place?

The last distance at which Oulder Hill Leadership Academy offered Year 7 places is not yet on file; it comes from Rochdale’s allocation statistics.

  1. 31 OctApply to Rochdale in Year 6 for a Year 7 place
  2. 1 MarNational Offer Day
Rochdale

Compare with nearby schools

Stayed in education at 16 · Attainment 8 · pupils

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.