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Oldham, North West
Waterhead Academy is a secondary academy in Oldham, North West.
Government data shown for the 2024/25 academic year
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Waterhead Academy is a secondary academy in Oldham, North West. It has not yet been rated by students on y.school. Be the first to rate this academy and help other students and parents understand what the school experience is really like.
In terms of academic performance, Waterhead Academy has a Progress 8 score of -0.72 (below the national average), an Attainment 8 score of 33.9, 42% of students achieving grade 4+ in English and Maths.
The school has 484 pupils on roll, a teacher turnover rate of 32.4%, 36% of pupils eligible for free school meals, an overall absence rate of 12.2%.
All student scores on y.school are calculated from anonymous ratings using a transparent, deterministic methodology. Scores are freshness-weighted (18-month half-life) and include confidence tiers based on sample size, diversity, and consistency. For full details, see the y.school methodology.
Profile completeness: 4 of 8 data domains · Partial coverage
3.5
Below Average
/ 10
Data Score
Computed from 15 government data points. Not based on student reviews.
Source: DfE / Ofsted · context onlyGovernment data is shown for context and does not influence the student-review Student Score. Small schools can show extreme percentages from small sample sizes.
Latest government data shown is for the 2024/25 academic year; some figures cover earlier years.
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Waterhead Academy has a Progress 8 score of -0.72, which is below the national average of 0. Progress 8 measures how much progress students make between the end of Key Stage 2 and their GCSE results, compared to students with similar starting points nationally.
The school's Attainment 8 score is 33.9. Attainment 8 measures the average achievement of students across 8 qualifications including English, Maths, three EBacc subjects, and three open group qualifications.
42% of students at Waterhead Academy achieved grade 4 or above in both English and Maths GCSEs.
Waterhead Academy has an overall absence rate of 12.2%. The national average for secondary schools was approximately 8.5% (DfE, 2023/24).
The teacher turnover rate at Waterhead Academy is 32.4%. This measures the percentage of teachers who left the school in the past year.
Waterhead Academy has 484 pupils on roll.
36% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is used as a proxy for socioeconomic disadvantage.
22% of pupils receive SEN (Special Educational Needs) support or have an Education, Health and Care plan.
Based on the latest government data. Every child is different — use this as a starting point, not a verdict.
In context — vs similar-intake schools
Below par for its intakeWaterhead Academy is in the lower half for Progress 8 among schools with a similar intake (34–97% of pupils eligible for free school meals).
Compared with 697 schools nationally that have a similar share of disadvantaged pupils (34–97% of pupils eligible for free school meals). Raw league-table positions are heavily shaped by intake; this comparison isolates how a school performs relative to others facing similar circumstances. Progress 8 already accounts for prior attainment. Source: Department for Education.
See the schools that most outperform their intakeSchools like this one
Matched on the share of disadvantaged pupils plus special-needs, English-as-an-additional-language and school size — so you can compare like with like, not just by postcode.
National percentiles (100 = best) for the area around the school · 5/5 measures · Police.uk, DEFRA, NaPTAN, DfT STATS19, MHCLG IoD 2025.
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