Norden Primary Academy
Norden Primary Academy is a converter academy in Rochdale for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 370 pupils and room for 420. About 14 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.
Shawfield Lane, Norden, Rochdale, OL12 7RQ01706 641013norden.theharmonytrust.orgMrs Rachael Bentham headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
A shorter visit on 30 March 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
53 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. These are the results of Norden Community Primary School, the school this one replaced.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025† | 2024† | 2023† | 2019† | 2018† | 2017† | Rochdale | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 53 | 55 | 57 | 59 | 60 | 55 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 53% | 47% | 54% | 68% | 75% | 69% | 60% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 4% | 0% | 17% | 5% | 4% | 4% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 105.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 | 105.0 | 104.3 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 104.0 | 102.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 | 103.8 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 105.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 | 109.0 | 108.0 | 108.0 | 105.1 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 72% | 75% | 88% | 73% | 77% | 78% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 70% | 56% | 68% | 78% | 85% | 91% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 60% | 62% | 60% | 88% | 83% | 84% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -0.5 | +0.2 | +1.4 | +2.1 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -2.4 | -0.1 | +2.5 | +2.1 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 29% | 44% | 55% | 44% | 40% | 60% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 62% | 49% | 54% | 77% | 87% | 73% | – | – |
There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.
† These results are for Norden Community Primary School, the school this one replaced in March 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 4 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At the end of primary school, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
74 places were empty (18% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Rochdale council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Specialist SEND provision. SEN unit with 22 pupils, for autism, speech, language and communication.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Rochdale with autism provision.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 20.6 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 28.3 (England 27.3).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (27), emotional and mental health (16), Autistic spectrum disorder (9), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (5), Hearing impairment (2), Specific learning difficulty (2).
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25† | 2023/24† | 2022/23† | 2021/22† | 2020/21† | 2018/19† | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 5.8% | 5.7% | 5.8% | 7.5% | 3.8% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.2% | 3.9% | 4.1% | 4.7% | 2.9% | 2.2% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.5% | 1.8% | 1.7% | 2.8% | 0.9% | 1.4% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 13.1% | 14.1% | 14.6% | 26.0% | 7.4% | 7.7% | 12.8% |
† These attendance figures are for Norden Community Primary School, the school this one replaced in March 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whittaker Moss Primary School | Council | 730 m | 443 | Good 2023 | 79 | Compare |
| Caldershaw Primary School | Academy | 750 m | 235 | Outstanding 2024 | – | Compare |
| St Vincent De Paul Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy | Academy | 750 m | 343 | Requires improvement 2023 | – | Compare |
| Bamford Academy | Academy | 1.0 miles | 324 | Good 2023 | 25 | Compare |
| Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School | Council | 1.1 miles | 298 | Good 2024 | 14 | Compare |
| Spotland Primary Academy | Academy | 1.5 miles | 420 | Inadequate 2024 | 0 | Compare |
| Shawclough Community Primary School | Council | 1.5 miles | 428 | Good 2023 | 48 | Compare |
| St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford | Church of England | 1.7 miles | 228 | Outstanding 2024 | 94 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Norden Primary Academy a good school?
Norden Primary Academy doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in March 2023.
What is Norden Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Norden Primary Academy good at its last full inspection on 30 March 2023.
How good are Norden Primary Academy's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 53% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 4% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does Norden Primary Academy have?
370 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 420 places, so it is 88% full.
Is Norden Primary Academy oversubscribed?
Probably not. 74 places were empty in 2024/25 (18% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Norden Primary Academy?
Pupils were in school 94.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 13% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Norden Primary Academy?
The average class had 25.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.
Does Norden Primary Academy have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It has sen unit for autism, speech, language and communication. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Shawfield Lane, Norden, Rochdale, OL12 7RQ
- Telephone
- 01706 641013
- Website
- www.norden.theharmonytrust.org
- Headteacher
- Mrs Rachael Bentham
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- The Harmony Trust Ltd (17 schools)
- Local authority
- Rochdale
- Ward
- Norden
- Constituency
- Heywood and Middleton North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 March 2025 (academy converter)
- URN
- 151320 · LAESTAB 3542018 · UKPRN 10096325
- Formerly
- Norden Community Primary School
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.