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. 30 of these schools also have a published admissions cutoff distance. 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

67 schools. 17 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places	Cutoff distance
Caldershaw Primary SchoolRochdale	2.47	30	0.544 miles 2026
Kentmere Primary AcademyRochdale	1.76	45	not published
All Souls Church of England Primary SchoolHeywood	1.43	30	0.384 miles 2026
St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, RochdaleManchester	1.43	30	not published
St Luke's Church of England Primary SchoolHeywood	1.41	59	0.48 miles 2026
Parkfield Primary SchoolManchester	1.34	29	not published
Bowlee Park Community Primary SchoolManchester	1.29	119	0.468 miles 2026
St John Fisher Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyManchester	1.23	30	not published
Alkrington Primary SchoolManchester	1.22	60	0.605 miles 2026
St Gabriel's Roman Catholic Primary School, RochdaleRochdale	1.17	30	0.46 miles 2026
Ashfield Valley Primary SchoolRochdale	1.13	30	0.405 miles 2026
Hopwood Community Primary SchoolHeywood	1.13	60	0.829 miles 2026
St Michael's Church of England Primary School, BamfordHeywood	1.13	31	not published
Heap Bridge Village Primary SchoolBury	1.08	24	0.882 miles 2026
St Thomas' Church of England Primary SchoolRochdale	1.05	20	1.348 miles 2026
St Mary's Church of England Primary School, BalderstoneRochdale	1.03	30	0.672 miles 2026
Whittaker Moss Primary SchoolRochdale	1.02	58	1.635 miles 2026
All Saints Church of England Primary SchoolRochdale	1.00	27	not published
Healey Foundation Primary SchoolRochdale	1.00	22	not published
Holy Trinity Church of England Primary SchoolLittleborough	1.00	23	not published
Littleborough Community Primary SchoolLittleborough	1.00	51	not published
Moorhouse AcademyRochdale	1.00	22	not published
Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyRochdale	1.00	30	not published
St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, MiddletonManchester	0.98	60	0.528 miles 2026
St Peter's Church of England Primary SchoolRochdale	0.98	59	1.666 miles 2026
Greenbank Primary SchoolRochdale	0.98	58	not published
Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary SchoolLittleborough	0.98	48	not published
St Gabriel's Church of England Primary SchoolManchester	0.97	30	2.105 miles 2026
Belfield Community SchoolRochdale	0.96	53	not published
St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary SchoolRochdale	0.96	26	not published
St James' Church of England Primary SchoolRochdale	0.96	24	not published
St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyRochdale	0.96	24	not published
St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyLittleborough	0.96	23	not published
Crossgates Primary SchoolRochdale	0.95	42	not published
Sandbrook Community Primary SchoolRochdale	0.95	60	not published
Marland Hill Community Primary SchoolRochdale	0.94	53	not published
Heybrook Primary SchoolRochdale	0.94	88	not published
Milnrow Parish Church of England Primary SchoolRochdale	0.94	17	not published
Broadfield Community Primary SchoolRochdale	0.93	44	not published
Shawclough Community Primary SchoolRochdale	0.93	41	not published
Deeplish Primary AcademyRochdale	0.92	52	not published
Stansfield Hall Church of England / Methodist Church Primary SchoolLittleborough	0.92	13	not published
St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School, Middleton, RochdaleManchester	0.92	38	not published
Castleton Primary SchoolRochdale	0.92	37	not published
Elm Wood Primary SchoolManchester	0.92	60	1.783 miles 2026
St Andrew's Church of England Primary School and NurseryRochdale	0.91	45	not published
Newhey Community Primary SchoolRochdale	0.91	33	not published
Holy Family Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyRochdale	0.90	30	not published
Spotland Primary AcademyRochdale	0.88	42	not published
St John's Church of England Primary School, ThornhamSlattocks	0.88	16	not published
St Edward's Church of England Primary SchoolRochdale	0.85	47	not published
St Vincent De Paul Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyRochdale	0.84	38	not published
Brimrod Community Primary SchoolRochdale	0.83	18	not published
Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyHeywood	0.81	21	not published
Hamer Community Primary SchoolRochdale	0.80	41	0.993 miles 2026
Boarshaw Community Primary SchoolMANCHESTER	0.80	49	not published
Harwood Park Primary SchoolHeywood	0.79	29	not published
Hollin Primary SchoolManchester	0.78	59	0.873 miles 2026
Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary SchoolRochdale	0.76	45	not published
St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School Rochdale, a Voluntary AcademyHeywood	0.75	57	not published
St Michael's Church of England Primary School, AlkringtonManchester	0.74	27	not published
Rhodes Green CE Primary SchoolManchester	0.70	27	not published
Alice Ingham Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyRochdale	0.67	12	not published
Bamford AcademyManchester	0.65	40	not published
Woodland Community Primary SchoolHeywood	0.65	60	not published
Norden Primary AcademyRochdale	0.62	39	not published
Middleton Parish Church SchoolManchester	0.60	52	not published

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

13 schools. 4 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places	Cutoff distance
Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High SchoolManchester	1.37	201	not published
Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England CollegeHeywood	1.27	142	not published
St Anne's Church of England AcademyManchester	1.16	171	not published
Hollingworth AcademyRochdale	1.06	262	2.573 miles 2026
Matthew Moss High SchoolRochdale	1.00	227	1.63 miles 2026
Falinge Park High SchoolRochdale	0.98	266	1.605 miles 2026
Wardle AcademyRochdale	0.98	264	1.331 miles 2026
Kingsway Park High SchoolRochdale	0.90	230	not published
Oulder Hill Leadership AcademyRochdale	0.83	210	not published
St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary AcademyRochdale	0.81	127	not published
Dixons Middleton AcademyManchester	0.73	237	not published
Edgar Wood AcademyHeywood	0.68	76	not published
Newhouse AcademyHeywood	0.63	207	not published