Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England CollegeEdgar Wood Academy
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Heywood.
Summary of the comparison
Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College and Edgar Wood Academy are secondary schools in Heywood.
Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College scores 57 out of 100 (grade C, average) and Edgar Wood Academy scores 53 out of 100 (grade D, below average). Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College is ahead on our composite score.
Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College was judged the expected standard and Edgar Wood Academy was judged the expected standard.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 51.8 for Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College and 41.4 for Edgar Wood Academy.
GCSE Attainment 8 has held broadly level at Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College (52.9 in 2021-22, 51.8 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | HeywoodHoly Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College | HeywoodEdgar Wood Academy | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C57/100Stronger figure | D53/100 | |
| Local ranking | 3rd of 13 in Rochdale Stronger figure | 12th of 13 in Rochdale | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Expected | Ofsted: Expected | |
| School type | Voluntary aided school | Free schools | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 768 | 729 | |
| Capacity | 750 | 900 | |
| Location | Heywood, OL10 2AA | Heywood, OL10 2QN | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 51.8 Stronger figure | 41.4 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 62.8% Stronger figure | 32.2% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 79.7% Stronger figure | 57.4% | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 148 | 115 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 763 | 637 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 23.5% | 45.5% | |
| English as an additional language | 12.1% | 14.4% | |
| SEN support | 11.3% | 13.8% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 4.3% | 3.8% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 7.5% Stronger figure | 9.7% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 22.1% Stronger figure | 30.7% | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College
Edgar Wood Academy
Full profiles: Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College · Edgar Wood Academy