More than 1,100 pupils were evacuated and St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School in Rochdale closed for the day after a hoax bomb threat on Friday morning, Greater Manchester Police said. Staff placed the school in lockdown when the call arrived at 08:55 BST and rang 999 while officers assessed the site.
What police and the trust confirmed
A police spokesman said officers attended St Cuthbert's on Oldham Road after the school reported a suspicious call. An on-scene assessment indicated the threat was likely a hoax, but investigators opened a criminal inquiry into who placed it.
The St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust, which runs the school, said parents and carers were notified immediately that children had been moved a safe distance away and that there was no danger to anyone on the premises. In a Facebook statement, the trust asked the community to avoid speculation on social media, particularly false rumours about intruders or weapons inside the building.
How the morning unfolded
St Cuthbert's serves more than 1,100 students across Rochdale. Lockdown procedures kept pupils inside classrooms while staff coordinated with police, then supervised an orderly evacuation once officers cleared a route.
The trust said it expected the school to reopen as normal on Monday 19 October, with further details to follow. Friday's closure disrupted lessons and exams schedules for families who had already dropped children off when the alert sounded.
Context in Rochdale
The incident lands during a difficult year for the high school. Staff staged a series of strikes earlier in 2026 over claims of violent and abusive behaviour from some pupils, and the trust has previously said it took action to raise standards. Friday's hoax did not involve any reported injuries, but it added another day of disruption for a school already under public scrutiny.
What happens next
Greater Manchester Police said detectives would work to trace the origin of the call and consider charges if a suspect is identified. Hoax bomb threats against schools are treated as serious offences in England because of the resources they consume and the fear they spread among children and neighbours.
For Rochdale, the priority now is returning pupils safely to class on Monday while police determine whether the call was a prank, a targeted harassment campaign, or part of a wider pattern of school threats seen elsewhere in the country this autumn.
Support for families
Local councillors said they would work with the diocese to offer pastoral support for students who found the lockdown frightening. Rochdale Borough Council’s education team said it stood ready to help the trust reschedule any coursework affected by the lost teaching day, though no formal catch-up plan had been published by Friday afternoon.