How many schools are in Oldham?

Oldham has 128 open schools: 86 primary schools and 14 secondary schools across 7 areas. Data sourced from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools (GIAS) register.

What areas are covered by Oldham school catchment zones?

Oldham administers catchment areas across 7 areas, including Oldham, Manchester, Greater Manchester, Oldham NOT BOLTON, Royton and more. Each school's catchment boundary is set by the local authority and reviewed annually as part of the admissions process.

How do school catchment areas work in Oldham?

In Oldham, catchment areas define a geographical zone around each school. Children living within the catchment boundary are given priority in oversubscription criteria. The exact boundary, and the "last distance offered", changes each year based on application volumes. Official catchment maps and admissions policies are published by Oldham council each autumn.

Which schools in Oldham are oversubscribed?

Oversubscription varies by school and year in Oldham. Popular schools typically receive more applications than available places, meaning the "last distance offered" shrinks annually. To check demand for a specific school, consult the Oldham admissions authority's published offer data or the school's own admissions policy.

Oldham School Catchment Areas

Reviewed by the catchment.school editorial team · Last updated 15 March 2026

Oldham coordinates admissions across 86 primary and 14 secondary schools, with oversubscription criteria applied consistently across the authority.

The largest concentrations sit around Oldham, Manchester and Greater Manchester, which together account for a meaningful share of the council's pupil places.

Selective schools are part of the mix in Oldham - for those applying to grammar schools, a selective admissions test is required in addition to the standard admissions process.

128 total 86 primary 14 secondary 7 areas

Based on the latest published capacity data, 27 of the 128 schools in Oldham are at or above their admission number, so catchment distance is decisive at those schools. Oldham has 3 selective schools that admit by entrance test rather than distance. 43 schools apply faith-based criteria alongside catchment distance. Of the 48 Oldham schools with a current Ofsted rating, 37 are rated Good or Outstanding.