Matthew Moss High School Review 2026: Ambitious routines, strong pastoral scaffolding, and a distinctive Saturday study offer

For families weighing a non-selective 11 to 16 secondary in Rochdale, Matthew Moss High School stands out for two practical strengths: a clear academic routine, and a set of structured support layers that help students manage secondary school life. The most recent official inspection confirmed that pupils feel safe and happy, that behaviour in lessons is calm, and that the curriculum is ambitious.

Outcomes sit in the middle band nationally on the available GCSE indicator set. Ranked 2,621st in England and 4th in Rochdale for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), performance aligns with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). Attainment 8 is 41.8 and Progress 8 is -0.03, a picture that points to broadly typical progress from starting points, with a small negative value. Entry is competitive: 639 applications for 226 offers in the most recent admissions dataset provided, which equates to 2.83 applications per place and an oversubscribed profile.

The school is part of Watergrove Trust and converted to academy status in October 2019, which matters because trust support is explicitly referenced in curriculum development and implementation.

The school’s public-facing language is unusually specific about dispositions and routines. Its CHANGE framework is presented as a set of habits and expectations that shape daily conduct, including Composure, High Standards, Agency, Numeracy and Literacy, Growth Mindset, and Empathy. That clarity tends to appeal to families who want structure and consistent language across classrooms, corridors, and tutor time.

External evidence supports a generally settled feel. Pupils describe feeling safe and happy, and the tutor group model deliberately mixes year groups so that younger pupils sit alongside older peers. The intended impact is belonging and reassurance, with pupils knowing there is an adult they can talk to if something is worrying them. This is the kind of day-to-day pastoral scaffolding that can matter more than any headline initiative, particularly for Year 7 pupils adjusting to multiple teachers and a larger site.

Leadership is also a key part of the current context. The headteacher is Ms Charlotte Leach-Rogers, and Watergrove Trust confirmed her appointment as permanent headteacher on 02 May 2024. In the April 2024 inspection report, she is referenced as the headteacher, with the report also noting her acting status at that point. For parents, the practical takeaway is that the leadership picture has recently stabilised, and the school is now operating under a confirmed substantive appointment.

Matthew Moss High School is a state-funded secondary and does not charge tuition fees. Academic outcomes should therefore be read in context: intake is comprehensive, and the school’s job is to deliver well across a broad range of starting points.

On the FindMySchool GCSE outcomes ranking provided, the school is:

• Ranked 2,621st in England and 4th in Rochdale for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data).

• This position reflects solid performance, in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

Looking at the available GCSE measures supplied:

• Attainment 8: 41.8

• Progress 8: -0.03

• EBacc average point score (APS): 3.77

• Percentage achieving grades 5 or above in the EBacc: 11

A sensible interpretation is that outcomes are broadly typical overall, with a small negative Progress 8 suggesting slightly below-average progress across the cohort on that measure. That is not the full story of academic quality, but it is a helpful directional indicator for families comparing local options.

The stronger, school-specific academic story is not a single statistic. It is the way the curriculum is designed and the way students are supported to close gaps, especially in reading. The most recent inspection describes systematic work to identify and remedy gaps in reading knowledge, with pupils who find reading difficult being supported to become more confident and fluent over time. Mixed-age form time is used as a lever for reading culture, with older pupils modelling strategies for younger classmates. For many families, that is the difference between a school that teaches to the timetable and a school that builds the underlying access skills students need across subjects.

Curriculum breadth is a stated strength. The school provides a broad and balanced curriculum with high aspirations for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and or disabilities, and it includes the opportunity for pupils to study the English Baccalaureate subject suite at key stage 4. That matters for two reasons. First, it keeps doors open for students who need a curriculum that supports later progression to college or apprenticeships. Second, it reduces the risk of over-narrowing options too early.

Implementation is described as strong across most subjects, with teachers clear on what should be learned and when. Where the school is still improving is consistency of checking what pupils have learned in a small number of subjects. The inspection report describes cases where assessment is not used consistently well, leading to gaps in knowledge that are not addressed swiftly enough. In parent terms, this is not a claim that teaching is weak overall. It is a targeted improvement point: families should expect most departments to feel established, while recognising that a small subset is still embedding recent curriculum changes.

One distinctive feature of the Matthew Moss model is the way it uses extra time to support study habits. The school’s D6 Saturday School is an open invitation for pupils to attend from 9.00am for four hours of additional study time, designed around student-led study groups with support from teaching assistants and paid learning coaches drawn from local sixth form students. Attendance ranges from around 100 pupils in autumn to around 200 during the examination season. For motivated students, particularly in Years 10 and 11, this can be an important practical advantage: supervised time, resources available, and help on hand.

Matthew Moss High School does not have a sixth form, so most students will move on at 16 to a further education college, a sixth form college, training, or an apprenticeship route. The most recent inspection report highlights that pupils receive extensive information about next steps, including work experience and college visits, and that they are well informed about different routes open to them after Year 11.

A useful way for parents to assess post-16 preparation is to ask about three things during open events or conversations with staff: the Year 10 work experience model, the quality of careers guidance, and how the school supports applications and interviews. The inspection evidence suggests that the school’s careers guidance broadens horizons, including targeted STEM careers activity, which can be particularly helpful for pupils who do not have professional networks at home.

Admissions are coordinated through Rochdale Local Authority, even though the school is an academy and the trust is the admissions authority for decisions. The published admission number for Year 7 is 240.

For September 2026 entry, Rochdale’s published timetable sets out clear dates:

• Applications open: 01 September 2025

• Closing date: 31 October 2025

• Last date for address changes: 12 December 2025

• National offer day: 02 March 2026

Competition for places is real. The provided demand data indicates 639 applications for 226 offers, and an oversubscribed status with 2.83 applications per place. For parents, the practical implication is to use all preferences on the local authority application and to take distance and oversubscription rules seriously, rather than assuming a place will follow automatically.

The dataset available here does not include a last distance offered figure, so it is not sensible to anchor planning to a specific mileage threshold. Families who want a more rigorous view should use tools such as FindMySchool’s Map Search to measure their address-to-school distance accurately, then compare multiple nearby schools, since allocations vary each year.

Pastoral structure is one of the school’s clearer strengths. Pupils report feeling safe and happy, relationships with staff are strong, and pupils say they have adults they can speak to if they have worries. Safeguarding is also confirmed as effective in the most recent inspection report.

Support is not confined to a single team. The school describes learning mentors who work with learners experiencing personal or social difficulties that may affect success in school. This includes a daily breakfast club offer, plus counselling and advice, emotional support, and targeted intervention programmes. For many families, especially those concerned about anxiety, friendships, or attendance wobble, the key question is how quickly support is put in place. The inspection evidence of an open culture and accessible adults suggests the infrastructure is in place.

SEND inclusion is also explicitly addressed. The inspection report describes the school identifying additional needs effectively, staff valuing information and training, and staff adapting learning sensitively so that pupils with SEND can progress through the curriculum well. In addition, the school hosts a Redwood Hub (linked to Redwood School) with a focus on supporting students to manage the emotional and social demands of large school communities while accessing mainstream lessons and working towards qualifications. For parents of pupils who need a smaller base but still benefit from mainstream access, this kind of hybrid model can be highly relevant.

Enrichment is positioned as a core entitlement rather than a bonus for a small group. The school defines enrichment as opportunities that may not sit strictly inside the national curriculum but build character, resilience, motivation, teamwork, and social responsibility.

What makes Matthew Moss more distinctive is the specificity of some clubs and activities that surface publicly:

• STEM Club has run over multiple years and is presented as a regular opportunity for engaged students, with term-by-term topic focus.

• Sign Language Club focuses on British Sign Language, framed around communication and inclusion.

• GeoGuessr Club runs as a lunchtime activity that uses the geography game format to build location knowledge and observational skills.

• Ancient History Club is active enough to host specialist input and museum-linked learning, including a Manchester Museum visit and a guest session involving fossil collections.

• LGBT+ Club is described as a supervised weekly group created to support pupil safety and belonging.

• Competitive enrichment also shows up through events such as cross-school chess activity, including hosting a Rochdale-wide tournament.

Sport provision has a community-facing angle through the on-site sports centre offer. The school describes facilities that include two grass pitches and a 3G astroturf available for multiple sports, with lettings that cover activities such as badminton, cricket, basketball, netball, and lacrosse, alongside football and rugby use on the 3G surface. For students, the implication is straightforward: regular access to a sports hall, outdoor pitches, and a timetable that makes team sport participation realistic across the week.

The published school day runs 08:35 to 15:05, with doors opening at 08:25, which equates to 32.5 hours per week. Beyond timetabled lessons, the school flags a programme of enrichment and intervention at the end of the day, plus the optional Saturday D6 study model for pupils who want extra supervised time.

For day-to-day costs, families should expect the usual state-school extras such as uniform, trips, and optional clubs. School meals are priced at £2.60 per meal on the school’s published catering information. Transport arrangements vary by pupil eligibility and distance, so it is sensible to check local authority school travel guidance and trial the journey at peak times if you are moving into the area.

• Admission competition is a real constraint. With 639 applications for 226 offers in the provided admissions dataset, demand materially exceeds supply. Families should plan with multiple realistic preferences rather than relying on a single option.

• Behaviour expectations are strongest in lessons. The most recent inspection describes disruption to learning as rare and behaviour in lessons as meeting high expectations, but it also flags inconsistency in behaviour expectations outside lessons and a punctuality challenge that the school is still addressing.

• A small number of subjects are still embedding curriculum changes. External evidence points to strong subject knowledge and effective learning in most areas, while noting that assessment is not consistently used well in a small number of subjects, which can allow knowledge gaps to persist.

• No sixth form changes the Year 11 decision point. Students will need a clear plan for post-16 education or training, and families should engage early with careers guidance and open events at local providers.

Matthew Moss High School offers a structured, ambition-led secondary education with credible evidence of safe culture, strong staff-student relationships, and a curriculum designed to include and stretch a wide intake. Its distinctive D6 Saturday School and visible enrichment culture add practical depth for students who benefit from guided study time and purposeful extracurricular choices.

Best suited to families who want an organised comprehensive with clear expectations, and to students who respond well to routine, coaching, and structured study support. The main hurdle is admission demand, so shortlisting should be realistic and evidence-led.