Cardinal Langley and Matthew Moss schools praised by Parliament

Andrew Bridson, Headteacher at Cardinal Langley, Sir Eric Pickles, Chairman of the Review and Mark Moorhouse, Headteacher at Matthew Moss

Cardinal Langley High School, Middleton, and Matthew Moss High School, Rochdale, both feature in the annual Parliamentary Review for leading the way in education.

Of 12 secondary schools from the north of England featured in the review there are five from Greater Manchester. No other GM area has two schools in the review, which demonstrates the scale of the achievement for the borough Rochdale.

The Parliamentary Review, a key feature in the political calendar, is a series of independent publications, which aims to share best practice among policy makers, business leaders and become a vital learning tool to both the public and private sector.

Both schools were delighted to be featured.

Andrew Bridson, headteacher at Cardinal Langley, said: “The entire school community is focussed on providing the best possible educational opportunities for the young people we serve and it is wonderful our efforts have been recognised.

"We have achieved double inspection success this year with the Diocese of Salford judging the school as Outstanding and Ofsted grading us as Good in all areas.

"Our recent results show that we can compete with the best in the country with our Sixth Form outcomes being in the top 25% of schools nationally.

"We understand that the opportunities we provide make a massive difference to the life chances of our students and we are exceptionally proud that 97% of our Year 13 students are starting university courses or apprenticeships this year.

"It is wonderful that the innovative practice at both schools is highlighted and it shows that there’s much to celebrate about education in Rochdale.”

Mark Moorhouse, headteacher at Matthew Moss High School, was equally delighted with the review and said: “We are very proud that Matthew Moss High School has been showcased as an example of best practice in the government's Parliamentary Review.

"This comes at a time when we have achieved our best results ever and are expanding our premises.

"That two schools from one local authority are celebrated in one edition of the Parliamentary Review is unprecedented and this is great news for Rochdale."

Across all policy areas, The Parliamentary Review is sent to over half a million leading policymakers and the articles in the Review act as both a blueprint for success and a template for reform.

Councillor Donna Martin, cabinet member for children’s services, welcomed the review and said: “This is a really proud moment for Rochdale to have two of our schools featured in this review. It is testament to the hard work all our schools are putting in on providing the best possible outcomes for our children and young people. I would like to congratulate everyone.”