Rochdale Sixth Form College

What Rochdale Sixth Form College does

Rochdale Sixth Form College (RSFC) is a publicly funded Further Education institution based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, established in 2010 and operating as part of the Altus Education Partnership, an exempt charitable company limited by guarantee (company number 10578239). The college delivers post-16 education — principally A-level subjects across the sciences, humanities, social sciences, arts, and mathematics, plus BTEC vocational pathways in Applied Science, ICT, and Health — to students aged 16-19 from the Rochdale borough and surrounding areas. Beyond core academic delivery, RSFC runs a layered enrichment portfolio including Aspire+, Pre-Graduate, Pre-Professional, Wider Skills, and Extended Enrichment modules, alongside The RSFC 10 character programme, a Speaker Programme, trips and societies, and a careers/CEIAG service.

Student support is a defining feature of the operating model. The college operates a dedicated Student Performance Development Leader (SPDL) pastoral system, BACP-registered counselling, Mental Health First Aiders, partnerships with external services such as Kooth, a comprehensive safeguarding function covering online safety, hate crime, knife crime, eating disorders, and harmful sexual behaviour, and a Learning Support team with SENCO and access arrangements assessors. These wrap around bursaries, catering, and a Student Union. Approximately 80% of students progress to higher education, and RSFC holds consecutive Ofsted 'Outstanding' ratings across all areas (most recently 2022) and was named Sixth Form College of the Year at the TES FE Awards in 2021.

RSFC does not sell to students — tuition is free at the point of delivery and funded through UK government education grants for the 16-19 age group — so the commercial 'revenue model' is effectively a single-payer public funding stream channelled through the further-education funding system. The go-to-market is a direct application/taster-day recruitment funnel drawing on local feeder schools, supported by organic social, a website/prospectus, and the wider Altus Education Partnership governance structure. Headcount sits in the 51-100 range across teaching, pastoral, safeguarding, learning support, and operational roles.

Name

Rochdale Sixth Form College

Legal name

Rochdale Sixth Form College

Website

https://rochdalesfc.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Rochdale Sixth Form College is a publicly funded UK Further Education institution in Rochdale, founded in 2010, delivering A-level and BTEC courses to students aged 16-19 under the Altus Education Partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochdale

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Education Funding: As a Further Education college, RSFC operates primarily through government funding for delivering education services to students aged 16-19. The college receives public funding for providing A-level and vocational courses.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Rochdale Sixth Form College (RSFC) is a post-16 further education institution in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, delivering A-Level and BTEC academic and vocational courses to students aged 16-19. The college supplements its core curriculum with an enrichment programme called Aspire+, which includes the Pre-Graduate and Pre-Professional pathways, speaker series, careers programme, and over 80 trips and societies. RSFC operates as part of the Altus Education Partnership and was rated Outstanding by Ofsted in 2022.

Product overview

Rochdale Sixth Form College is a sixth-form educational institution offering a unified educational service portfolio comprising A-Level and BTEC courses as the core academic products, supplemented by enrichment and support programmes including Aspire+, Pre-Graduate, Pre-Professional, Wider Skills, and Extended Enrichment modules. The college provides comprehensive student services including mental health and wellbeing support, safeguarding services, learning support, financial support, careers guidance, catering, and extracurricular activities. The portfolio is designed to support students aged 16-18 through their transition from secondary education to higher education or employment, with programmes targeting both academic excellence and personal development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• A-Level Courses
• BTEC Courses
• Aspire+ Enrichment Programme
• Pre-Graduate Programme
• Pre-Professional Programme
• Student Wellbeing and Mental Health Support
• Catering Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 80% of students progress to higher education

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Altus Education PartnershipcoreOthersRSFC is part of Altus Education Partnership, an exempt charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales (company number 10578239). The partnership provides governance and oversight for the college.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Loreto College: Large Catholic sixth form college in Manchester city centre, also rated Outstanding by Ofsted. Directly comparable in mission, A-level/BTEC offering, student demographic (16-19), and competitive catchment overlap with RSFC across Greater Manchester.
• Xaverian College: Catholic sixth form college in Manchester offering a broad A-level and BTEC portfolio. Competes with RSFC for the same post-16 students across Greater Manchester and is a near-direct peer in size, mission, and product mix.
• Aquinas College: Sixth form college in Stockport, Greater Manchester, providing A-level and vocational pathways. Same regulatory environment (Ofsted), similar age cohort, and overlapping competitive catchment — a direct peer institution.
• Winstanley College: Sixth form college in Wigan rated Outstanding by Ofsted, serving a similar 16-19 demographic in Greater Manchester. Comparable in size, mission, and high-performing status to RSFC.
• Carmel College: Catholic sixth form college in St Helens, Merseyside, rated Outstanding by Ofsted. Comparable post-16 A-level/BTEC provider in the North West with similar regulatory and competitive dynamics to RSFC.
• Oldham Sixth Form College: Sixth form college in the adjacent borough of Oldham, directly comparable in mission and demographic. A clear local peer in the same Further Education segment with overlapping recruitment geography.
• Holy Cross College: Catholic sixth form college in Bury, geographically adjacent to Rochdale. A direct peer competing for the same 16-19 demographic in the northern Greater Manchester sub-region.
• Bolton Sixth Form College: Sixth form college in Bolton, Greater Manchester. Same A-level/BTEC offering to 16-19 students, partially overlapping catchment, and directly comparable operating model — a relevant regional peer.

Regional players

• Runshaw College: Large FE college in Lancashire rated Outstanding by Ofsted, offering A-levels, BTECs, and apprenticeships. Same North West regulatory and funding environment as RSFC, and an adjacent (broader FE) peer rather than a pure sixth form competitor.
• Trafford College Group: Larger Further Education group in Greater Manchester offering A-levels alongside vocational and apprenticeship provision. Adjacent peer — overlapping post-16 offering but broader FE/apprenticeship portfolio that distinguishes it from RSFC's sixth-form-only model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RochdaleSFC
• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.rochdalesfc.ac.uk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rochdale-sixth-form-college

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Rochdale Sixth Form College