Several Oldham secondary schools were oversubscribed to this school year, according to new figures.

Data released by the government has shown the number of first place preferences put for each school in the borough for the 2023-24 school year, along with the number of places the school offered.

The figures have shown that of the 14 secondary schools in the borough for which data was recorded, five were oversubscribed.

The most oversubscribed school was The Blue Coat school, which had 505 first place preferences, however only 234 places were offered.

In second was The Crompton House Church of England Academy, with 375 first place preferences and 297 places offered, while the third most oversubscribed secondary school was The Hathershaw College, with 242 first place preferences and 204 places offered.

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The other two secondary schools in the borough which were oversubscribed were The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy and North Chadderton School.

The full list of Oldham secondary schools can be seen below:

Cllr Mohon Ali, Oldham Council Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: “We’re pleased that Oldham parents can access good school places for their children, and that our schools and academies work flexibly to accommodate population changes. In 2023, the first-choice preference rate increased to 80.4% for secondaries and remained high at 91.2% for primaries.

‘’Over the next few years, we expect a slight dip in the number of primary aged pupils, but the number of secondary pupils will rise. We have planned for this, with the building of new secondaries at Oasis Leesbrook and Brian Clarke and expansion at Crompton House.

‘’Overall, this means that there will be a supply of good school places in both phases.”

The Blue Coat School, The Crompton House Academy and The Hathershaw College were all approached for comment.