Best secondary schools in Oldham: A complete 2026 guide

Oldham sits at the eastern edge of Greater Manchester and has a strong cluster of secondary schools, ranging from one well-established independent foundation through faith schools to a number of large community comprehensives. Families here often weigh up Oldham schools alongside options in neighbouring Manchester, Rochdale and Tameside.

This guide groups Oldham's best-known secondaries into three clear categories so you can compare similar schools side by side. The categories are private (independent) schools, grammar schools, and state schools including academies, comprehensives and faith schools.

No invented results or ratings appear here. The most reliable place to check current performance is the Department for Education's compare-school-performance service, and the most recent Ofsted report for each school.

The list below covers a deliberate spread of school types. It includes a long-established independent, several large state comprehensives, faith schools and academy trust members. The aim is to help parents compare options across the borough rather than rank schools.

Results, Ofsted grades and admissions cut-offs change year to year. The figures and ratings most useful to you when applying are the current ones, not last year's headlines. Always check the school's own website and the latest inspection report.

For the independent option, contact the school directly to ask about current fees, bursaries and scholarship rounds. The cost picture for many families is different once means-tested support is factored in.

Oldham Hulme Grammar School is the borough's main independent school. Despite the grammar in its name, it is a fee-paying independent rather than a state grammar. It is co-educational, runs from nursery through to sixth form on a single site in Oldham, and serves families across Oldham, Saddleworth and beyond.

The school has a long-standing academic reputation in the area, with results at GCSE and A-level and a sixth form that supports applications to Russell Group universities, medicine, and creative and vocational pathways. Music, drama and sport feature heavily in school life.

Entry is by examination and interview at the standard 11+ and 16+ points, with bursaries and scholarships available. Families considering independent education locally usually start their research here.

Oldham does not operate a selective state grammar system. There are no state grammar schools within the borough, and the only school with grammar in its name, Oldham Hulme Grammar School, is independent rather than state-funded.

Families specifically looking for a state grammar education usually apply across the boundary to Trafford, which has a fully selective grammar system with its own coordinated 11+ entrance test. Bury, on the other side of the borough, runs a small number of partially selective schools but does not have a full grammar system either.

If you want a selective experience within Oldham itself, the only realistic route is the independent Oldham Hulme Grammar School, which has its own competitive entry process and offers bursary support to families who would not otherwise consider private education.

Crompton House is a Church of England state secondary in Shaw, on the northern edge of Oldham. It has been one of the more heavily oversubscribed state schools in the borough for many years.

The school combines a clear Christian ethos with a strong academic focus and a well-established sixth form. Pastoral care and high expectations of conduct are themes that come up consistently in parent feedback.

Faith-based admissions criteria are detailed. Families intending to apply should look at the published supplementary information form well in advance, particularly the evidence required around regular church attendance.

North Chadderton is a large state secondary in the Chadderton area of Oldham. It has a long history as a community school and now operates as part of an academy trust, with a substantial sixth form on a partnered site.

The school's scale allows it to offer a broad GCSE curriculum and a wide range of post-16 options. Pastoral structures are organised to keep year groups well known within the larger setting.

Admissions are based on the standard local authority criteria. Distance from the school is a significant factor in oversubscription, so families should look at recent years' published offer distances.

The Blue Coat School in Oldham is a long-established Church of England state secondary with a sixth form. It serves families from across the borough and is consistently one of the most popular faith schools locally.

The school has a clear academic ethos and a busy programme of music, sport and community work, alongside its Christian foundation. The sixth form supports a wide range of A-level options and progression to university.

Faith criteria for admissions are detailed and require supporting evidence. Families should read the school's admissions policy carefully and start collecting any required documentation early.

Saddleworth School is a large community secondary serving the villages of Saddleworth and the surrounding area. It moved into a new building in recent years and has a wide catchment that stretches from Uppermill across to the moorland villages.

The school has a long-standing reputation locally for its academic record, sport and music provision, and a strong relationship with the wider Saddleworth community. The sixth form supports a broad range of A-level options.

Admissions are based primarily on distance and sibling priority. Families considering Saddleworth should check the most recent year's furthest-distance offer against their home postcode.

Royton and Crompton Academy serves families in the north of the borough, in the area between Oldham town centre and Shaw. It has been through significant change in recent years as part of its academy conversion, with a renewed focus on academic outcomes and pastoral support.

The school offers a standard GCSE curriculum with a broad range of options, and a sixth form provision delivered with partner schools. The current Ofsted report and recent results are the best place to gauge how the academy is performing now.

Admissions follow standard local authority criteria, with distance and sibling priority playing the largest role in oversubscribed years.

Co-op Academy Failsworth (formerly Failsworth School until 2017, when it joined the Co-op Academies Trust) serves families in the Failsworth area of south Oldham, close to the Manchester boundary. It is a non-selective state secondary with a long-standing local presence and a wide catchment in the southern part of the borough.

The school offers a broad GCSE curriculum and a programme of enrichment, sport and pastoral support. Sixth form pathways are delivered through partnerships with neighbouring schools and post-16 providers, giving leavers access to a wider set of A-level and vocational options.

Families considering Co-op Academy Failsworth should look at the latest Ofsted report and recent results alongside any open events they can attend, and check the most recent published offer distance against their home postcode.

The best school on paper is not always the best school for your child. Some children will thrive in a large comprehensive with hundreds of peers and dozens of clubs. Others do better in a smaller, more closely knit setting where staff know every name.

Think honestly about your child's temperament. A high-pressure academic environment lifts some students and overwhelms others. A school with a strong faith ethos suits some families deeply and feels uncomfortable to others. Your gut response on a visit usually contains useful information.

Practical factors matter too. Travel time, friendship groups carrying over from primary, and after-school activities shape how good the daily experience actually is. A school that looks ideal on the open evening can become a daily slog by Year 9 if the commute is brutal.

Oldham Council coordinates secondary admissions for families living in the borough. The application deadline is 31 October in Year 6, with offers issued on the national offer day in early March.

Families can list up to a set number of preferences on the application. Order matters, because it decides which school you are offered if you qualify for several. Listing only one school does not improve your chances of getting it.

Faith schools require an additional supplementary information form alongside the council application, and independent schools run their own separate admissions processes with earlier deadlines. If you are applying to schools in more than one borough, you still apply through Oldham as your home council and list out-of-borough schools as preferences.