A Rochdale secondary school with more than 1,100 pupils was evacuated and closed for the day after a bomb threat that police said was likely a hoax.

Staff at St Cuthbert's RC High School on Shaw Road received the threat at 8.55am on Friday 16 October and called 999, BBC News reported. The school went into lockdown and all its buildings were then evacuated as a precaution.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said officers attended and carried out an assessment “which indicated that the call was a likely hoax”, and that officers were investigating the circumstances of the call. No arrests have been reported.

St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust, which runs the school, said all children and staff were “safe and accounted for” and that parents and carers had been told straight away that their children had been moved to a safe distance. Parents were able to collect their children, and specialist security staff carried out a sweep of the building that afternoon.

The trust urged people to avoid speculation on social media, in particular false rumours about intruders or weapons on school premises. It said it expected the school to reopen as normal on Monday 19 October.

Sources: BBC News, 16 October 2026; Manchester Evening News, including the school and GMP statements; Roch Valley Radio, 16 October 2026. This article was produced with the help of AI tools and checked by an editor against the sources above.