The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy
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The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy is a free school in Oldham for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 950 pupils and room for 1,200. About 42 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 87 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 91% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.
Bloom Street, Shaw, Oldham, OL9 6BP0161 785 5085brian-clarke.orgMs Allison Ash headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 24 June 2025, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
0 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
The government hasn't published this school's headline results. Fewer than eleven pupils sat the exams, so the figures could identify individual children.
Getting a place
Open to all. There is no entrance test. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.
483 places were empty (40% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in.
The last child to get a place lived 2.3 miles away in 2024. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2026. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child who qualified under the random allocation rule (Random allocation), so all the places were taken before distance came into it. 479 families put it down as their first choice and 161 of them got in (34%).
| Entry | Places | Put it first | Applied at all | Got a place | First choices who got in | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Secondary | 240 | 479 | 1,279 | 240 | 34% | – (random allocation) | LA |
| 2025 Secondary | 240 | 474 | 1,177 | 240 | 36% | – (catchment area) | LA |
| 2024 Secondary | 240 | 499 | 1,138 | 240 | 37% | 2.3 miles (catchment area) | LA |
| 2023 Secondary | 240 | 276 | 798 | 240 | 59% | – (faith) | LA |
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (57), emotional and mental health (28), Autistic spectrum disorder (24), Moderate learning difficulty (13), Specific learning difficulty (9), Physical disability (6).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 950 | 719 | 480 | 241 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 42% | 40% | 36% | 32% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 38% | 34% | 32% | 19% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 13% | 12% | 16% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 3% | 3% | 2% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 4.7% | 4.7% | 4.2% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 2.2% | 3.0% | 3.1% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.5% | 1.7% | 1.1% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 10.4% | 10.3% | 7.4% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 6.3 | 9.2 | 5.0 | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 1 | 0 | – |
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 secondary 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 secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Blue Coat CofE School | Academy | 0.7 miles | 1,702 | Outstanding 2022 | 93 | Compare |
| Saint John Henry Newman Roman Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy | Academy | 1.3 miles | 1,469 | Requires improvement 2023 | 3 | Compare |
| E-ACT the Oldham Academy North | Academy | 1.3 miles | 1,258 | Not inspected | 79 | Compare |
| Oasis Academy Oldham | Academy | 1.3 miles | 1,415 | Good 2024 | 31 | Compare |
| The Radclyffe School | Academy | 1.3 miles | 1,430 | Good 2024 | – | Compare |
| The Hathershaw College | Academy | 1.4 miles | 1,034 | Report card 2026 | 17 | Compare |
| North Chadderton School | Academy | 1.6 miles | 1,524 | No overall grade 2024 | 36 | Compare |
| Oasis Academy Leesbrook | Free school | 1.7 miles | 1,349 | Good 2023 | 51 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy with the 46 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 46 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 46 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharples School | Academy | 13.3 miles | 1,214 | Not inspected | 92 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 87 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 87% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 77 to 94. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 0% | no data | – | |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | well above | +0.57 | Ofsted grade, 1.2 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 0% | no data | – | |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | in line | -0.08 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | well above | +0.31 | 2024/25; 731 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 0% | no data | – | |
| What pupils do next | 0% | no data | – | |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy a good school?
Yes, going by the figures. The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy scores 87 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 91% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 77 to 94, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy not judged at its last full inspection on 24 June 2025.
How many pupils does The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy have?
950 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,200 places, so it is 79% full.
Is The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy oversubscribed?
Probably not. 483 places were empty in 2024/25 (40% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy?
Pupils were in school 95.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 10% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy?
The average class had 25.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 3% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Bloom Street, Shaw, Oldham, OL9 6BP
- Telephone
- 0161 785 5085
- Website
- www.brian-clarke.org
- Headteacher
- Ms Allison Ash
- Type of school
- Free school (Free schools, free schools)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England, Diocese of Manchester
- Multi-academy trust
- Cranmer Education Trust (10 schools)
- Local authority
- Oldham
- Ward
- Coldhurst
- Constituency
- Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2022 (new provision)
- URN
- 149137 · LAESTAB 3534012 · UKPRN 10090891
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
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.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- 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.
- Admissions outcomes: Oldham council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.
- 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.