Co-op Academy Failsworth
Academy sponsor led · 1,434 pupils
79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.0
Academy converter
Saddleworth School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,444of 1,406 places
- Free school meals
- 23.7%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 264
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement, 30 January 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Saddleworth School (URN 105736, until 1 December 2024).
What the data says
Saddleworth School has no sixth form. Of the 275 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 40% moved to a sixth form college, 41% to a further education college and 5% started an apprenticeship.
Sixth form colleges are the main next step: 40% of leavers went to one, roughly three times the England rate of 13%.
German is unusually popular at GCSE: 30% of the year group took it, against 5% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 47.5 against 46.1 across England and 42.3 in Oldham, with 53% 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 Oldham and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Saddleworth School | Oldham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 275 | 3,389 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 91% | 90% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 84% | 85% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 2% | 13% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 40% | 35% | 13% |
| — further education college | 41% | 35% | 37% |
| — other education | — | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 6% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 3% | 3% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Saddleworth School | Oldham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 47.5 | 42.3 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 53% | 37% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 71% | 58% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 46% | 41% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.13 | 3.69 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 23% | 38% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 34.9 | 35.5 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 51.2 | 46.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 2% | 31% | 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 Literature | 264 | 100% | 86% | 21% | 21% | 75% |
| English Language | 264 | 100% | 89% | 21% | 20% | 77% |
| Mathematics | 263 | 100% | 88% | 21% | 22% | 76% |
| Combined Science | 205 | 78% | 65% | 7% | 9% | 54% |
| History | 158 | 60% | 41% | 23% | 26% | 59% |
| Geography | 85 | 32% | 41% | 22% | 25% | 67% |
| German | 79 | 30% | 5% | 23% | 33% | 82% |
| Biology | 51 | 19% | 23% | 33% | 45% | 86% |
| Business Studies | 49 | 19% | 18% | 29% | 20% | 71% |
| Physics | 48 | 18% | 23% | 38% | 46% | 90% |
| Chemistry | 48 | 18% | 23% | 40% | 47% | 94% |
| Photography | 42 | 16% | 6% | 17% | 19% | 64% |
| Religious Studies | 40 | 15% | 31% | 38% | 32% | 85% |
| French | 40 | 15% | 18% | 28% | 29% | 90% |
| Art and Design | 37 | 14% | 7% | 11% | 24% | 65% |
| Physical Education | 33 | 13% | 11% | 24% | 24% | 88% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 32 | 12% | 8% | 13% | 21% | 81% |
| Computer Science | 28 | 11% | 13% | 14% | 30% | 64% |
| Drama | 23 | 9% | 7% | 17% | 27% | 70% |
| Media Studies | 22 | 8% | 4% | 27% | 20% | 82% |
| Design and Technology | 17 | 6% | 11% | 18% | 23% | 82% |
| Music | 13 | 5% | 5% | 8% | 33% | 69% |
| 3D Design | 9 | 3% | 2% | 0% | 16% | 44% |
| Urdu | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 42% | — |
| Portuguese | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 63 | — | — |
| Health Studies | 61 | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 20 | — | — |
| Small Business Management | 20 | — | — |
| Dance: General | 18 | — | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 16 | — | — |
| Graphic Design | 13 | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Oldham
Co-Op Academy Waterhead
Academy sponsor led · 761 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 34.0
E-ACT Royton and Crompton Academy
Academy sponsor led · 975 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 38.7
E-ACT the Oldham Academy North
Academy sponsor led · 1,258 pupils
91% stayed in education · Attainment 8 48.2
North Chadderton School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,524 pupils
87% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.8
Oasis Academy Leesbrook
Free schools · 1,349 pupils
87% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.5
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.