School admissions in Rochdale

How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. Sorted by first preferences per place. We don't invent rankings: the order is arithmetic on a published figure, not a view about which school is better.

Reception places, September 2026

41 schools. 7 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places
Caldershaw Primary SchoolRochdale	2.47	30
Kentmere Primary AcademyRochdale	1.76	45
St Gabriel's Roman Catholic Primary School, RochdaleRochdale	1.17	30
Ashfield Valley Primary SchoolRochdale	1.13	30
St Thomas' Church of England Primary SchoolRochdale	1.05	20
St Mary's Church of England Primary School, BalderstoneRochdale	1.03	30
Whittaker Moss Primary SchoolRochdale	1.02	58
All Saints Church of England Primary SchoolRochdale	1.00	27
Healey Foundation Primary SchoolRochdale	1.00	22
Moorhouse AcademyRochdale	1.00	22
Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyRochdale	1.00	30
St Bartholomew's Church of England Primary SchoolRochdale	1.00	16
St Peter's Church of England Primary SchoolRochdale	0.98	59
Greenbank Primary SchoolRochdale	0.98	58
Our Lady and St Anselm's Roman Catholic Primary School, WhitworthRochdale	0.96	28
Belfield Community SchoolRochdale	0.96	53
St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary SchoolRochdale	0.96	26
St James' Church of England Primary SchoolRochdale	0.96	24
St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyRochdale	0.96	24
Crossgates Primary SchoolRochdale	0.95	42
Sandbrook Community Primary SchoolRochdale	0.95	60
Marland Hill Community Primary SchoolRochdale	0.94	53
Heybrook Primary SchoolRochdale	0.94	88
Milnrow Parish Church of England Primary SchoolRochdale	0.94	17
Broadfield Community Primary SchoolRochdale	0.93	44
Shawclough Community Primary SchoolRochdale	0.93	41
Deeplish Primary AcademyRochdale	0.92	52
St John With St Michael Church of England Primary SchoolRochdale	0.92	13
Castleton Primary SchoolRochdale	0.92	37
St Andrew's Church of England Primary School and NurseryRochdale	0.91	45
Lowerplace Primary SchoolRochdale	0.91	56
Newhey Community Primary SchoolRochdale	0.91	33
Holy Family Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyRochdale	0.90	30
Spotland Primary AcademyRochdale	0.88	42
St Edward's Church of England Primary SchoolRochdale	0.85	47
St Vincent De Paul Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyRochdale	0.84	38
Brimrod Community Primary SchoolRochdale	0.83	18
Hamer Community Primary SchoolRochdale	0.80	41
Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary SchoolRochdale	0.76	45
Alice Ingham Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyRochdale	0.67	12
Norden Primary AcademyRochdale	0.62	39

First preferences per place is the number of families naming the school first, divided by its published admission number. Above 1.00 means more first choices than places. It is not a ranking and not a measure of quality: a popular school can be easy to get into and a quiet one hard, because places are allocated by each school's own criteria, siblings and faith and banding first, with distance often the last tie-breaker. Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE.

Year 7 places, September 2026

8 schools. 2 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places
Whitworth Community High SchoolROCHDALE	1.32	125
Hollingworth AcademyRochdale	1.06	262
Matthew Moss High SchoolRochdale	1.00	227
Falinge Park High SchoolRochdale	0.98	266
Wardle AcademyRochdale	0.98	264
Kingsway Park High SchoolRochdale	0.90	230
Oulder Hill Leadership AcademyRochdale	0.83	210
St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary AcademyRochdale	0.81	127