The Blue Coat CofE School
Egerton Street, Chadderton, Oldham, OL1 3SQ
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- CRANMER EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Rob Higgins
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Manchester
- Sponsor
- Cranmer Education Trust
- Constituency
- Oldham East and Saddleworth
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,550
- Pupils on roll
- 1,702
- URN
- 137133
- Local authority
- Oldham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01616241484
About this school
The Blue Coat CofE School is a Church of England secondary academy in Oldham. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,702 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Blue Coat CofE School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Sixth form
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 249 | 259 | 250 |
| Attainment 8 score | 57.4 | 56.1 | 59.1 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.57 +0.39 to +0.74 | +0.50 +0.33 to +0.68 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 68% | 63.7% | 73.6% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 86% | 84.2% | 87.6% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 96% | 91.1% | 88.4% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 5.3 | 5.2 | 5.5 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How The Blue Coat CofE School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Oldham average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 57.4 | 39.7 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 56.1 | 38.4 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 59.1 | 35.9 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,680 |
| 2023/24 | 1,692 |
| 2024/25 | 1,669 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Blue Coat CofE School compares
The Blue Coat CofE School ranked 1st of 10 secondary schools in Oldham for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 92% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 59.1 | 4.8% | 17% | 1,702 | — |
| The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy | — | 4.7% | 41.5% | 950 | 0.7 miles |
| E-ACT the Oldham Academy North | 48.2 | 6.3% | 49.3% | 1,258 | 1.2 miles |
| Oasis Academy Leesbrook | 41.5 | 8.1% | 48.8% | 1,349 | 1.3 miles |
| E-ACT Royton and Crompton Academy | 38.7 | 7.9% | 47.6% | 975 | 1.5 miles |
| Waterhead Academy | 34 | 9.3% | 51.5% | 761 | 1.5 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 16.95%
- English as an additional language
- 14.9%
- Overall absence
- 4.76%
- Persistent absence
- 10.87%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy0.7 miles
Secondary · Oldham
-
E-ACT the Oldham Academy North1.2 miles
Secondary · Oldham
-
Oasis Academy Leesbrook1.3 miles
Secondary · Oldham
-
E-ACT Royton and Crompton Academy1.5 miles
Secondary · Oldham
-
Waterhead Academy1.5 miles
Secondary · Oldham
Other schools in Oldham
The Blue Coat CofE School ranks 1st of the 9 ranked secondary schools in Oldham.
- E-ACT Royton and Crompton Academy Secondary
- E-ACT the Oldham Academy North Secondary
- North Chadderton School Secondary
- Oasis Academy Leesbrook Secondary
- Oasis Academy Oldham Secondary
- Saddleworth School Secondary
- Saint John Henry Newman Roman Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy Secondary
- The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy Secondary
- The Crompton House Church of England Academy Secondary
- The Hathershaw College Secondary
- The Radclyffe School Secondary
- Waterhead Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does The Blue Coat CofE School teach?
- The Blue Coat CofE School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Oldham.
- Who is the headteacher of The Blue Coat CofE School?
- The headteacher of The Blue Coat CofE School is Mr Rob Higgins, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Blue Coat CofE School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Blue Coat CofE School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at The Blue Coat CofE School?
- The Blue Coat CofE School has 1,702 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is The Blue Coat CofE School full?
- The Blue Coat CofE School has capacity for 1,550 pupils and 1,702 on roll (110%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is The Blue Coat CofE School a faith school?
- Yes. The Blue Coat CofE School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Manchester.
- Is The Blue Coat CofE School a selective school?
- No. The Blue Coat CofE School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is The Blue Coat CofE School part of an academy trust?
- The Blue Coat CofE School is part of CRANMER EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Blue Coat CofE School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 57.4 in 2022/23 and 59.1 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Blue Coat CofE School compare with other schools in Oldham?
- The Blue Coat CofE School ranked 1st of 10 secondary schools in Oldham for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 92% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Blue Coat CofE School's absence rate?
- The Blue Coat CofE School's overall absence rate is 4.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Blue Coat CofE School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Blue Coat CofE School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 6 July 2026.