The Elton High School

The Elton High School is performing well overall, achieving satisfactory standards in various aspects of education, including safeguarding, teaching, and pupil well-being. The school has a strong culture for safeguarding, ensuring that pupils feel safe and supported. Leaders have implemented structured training for staff, which has positively impacted teaching effectiveness and pupil continuity in learning. Although pupils, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, are achieving in line with national averages, leaders are focused on further enhancing the curriculum and addressing challenges in attendance, particularly among older students in Years 10 and 11.

Strengths

• Strong safeguarding culture ensuring pupils feel safe and valued.
• Effective support for pupils’ next steps into post-16 education and careers.
• Comprehensive subject knowledge among teachers supported by ongoing professional development.
• Positive and respectful behavior observed throughout the school.
• An inclusive culture with tailored support for pupils with special educational needs.

Areas for Improvement

• Lower attendance figures for older pupils, particularly in Years 10 and 11.
• Inconsistencies in curriculum delivery across some subjects.
• Governors' support for pupil attendance and behavior varies in its impact.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at The Elton High School attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 10.0% of pupils at The Elton High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 The Elton High School had 16.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 14.5% of pupils at The Elton High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 The Elton High School received £8,273 and spent £8,257 for each of its 1,019 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £64,000 (£63 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Bury · Bury local authority: places and applications

What is The Elton High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Elton High School is Expected standard, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was The Elton High School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Elton High School was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does The Elton High School have?

The Elton High School has 1,017 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Elton High School cover?

The Elton High School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are The Elton High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 47.4, and 47% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Elton High School?

The Elton High School is at Walshaw Road, Bury, Lancashire, BL8 1RN.