Shuttleworth College

Shuttleworth College is a warm and welcoming secondary school where pupils feel happy and safe, and most behave well and show respect. Year 7 pupils settle quickly because of well-considered support. The school has raised expectations and is developing an increasingly aspirational curriculum, and many pupils are benefiting by knowing and remembering more. Pupils also access a wide range of visits, leadership roles and clubs, and personal development is strong: pupils learn about respect, tolerance, healthy relationships and safety, and careers provision is comprehensive. The main area for development is the quality of education. In some subjects the curriculum is not implemented as intended, teaching activities do not always help pupils secure and retain learning, and assessment checks are not used consistently enough, so teachers sometimes move on before pupils are ready. This creates gaps, particularly for disadvantaged pupils. Reading is a priority and SEND support has improved since the previous inspection, but reading interventions do not consistently help pupils catch up quickly, and attendance strategies have had limited impact for some pupils who miss vital learning. Leadership and governance are effective and have addressed key priorities, including stabilising staffing and improving some curriculum design and delivery, with positive effects on staff workload and well-being. Safeguarding is effective. This was a graded inspection, so no overall effectiveness grade was given; the school remains a secondary comprehensive foundation school following its previous inspection in 2022.

Strengths

• Warm and welcoming school culture
• Pupils feel happy and safe
• Well-considered support helps Year 7 pupils settle quickly
• Most pupils behave well and show respect
• Raised expectations and an increasingly aspirational curriculum
• Many pupils know and remember more across subjects
• Wide range of educational visits, leadership roles and clubs
• Teachers have strong subject knowledge and explain concepts clearly
• Improved identification and support for pupils with SEND since the previous inspection
• Reading is a priority with increased efforts to foster a love of reading
• Calm classrooms supported by clear routines
• Pupils learn about respect, tolerance, healthy relationships and safety
• Comprehensive careers programme with work experience and careers events
• Effective leadership and governance addressing key priorities
• Staffing has stabilised and staff workload and well-being have improved
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• The quality of education requires improvement
• Curriculum implementation is inconsistent in some subjects
• Some teaching activities are not effective enough in helping pupils learn and remember content
• Missed opportunities to promote discussion and deeper learning
• Systems for checking pupils' understanding are not used systematically
• Teachers sometimes move on before pupils are ready
• Some pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils, develop gaps in knowledge
• Reading interventions do not always help pupils catch up quickly
• Attendance strategies have had limited impact for some pupils
• Persistent non-attendance means some pupils miss vital learning

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 Shuttleworth College attended 87.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 34.8% 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, 14.8% of pupils at Shuttleworth College were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 13 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 Shuttleworth College had 15.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.0% 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, 25.9% of pupils at Shuttleworth College were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 7.6% 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 Shuttleworth College received £11,023 and spent £11,394 for each of its 1,076 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £776,000 (-£721 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 Burnley · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

What is Shuttleworth College's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Shuttleworth College is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Shuttleworth College last inspected by Ofsted?

Shuttleworth College was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Shuttleworth College have?

Shuttleworth College has 1,072 pupils on roll.

What age range does Shuttleworth College cover?

Shuttleworth College for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Shuttleworth College's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 38.0, and 38% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Shuttleworth College?

Shuttleworth College is at Burnley Road, Padiham, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 8ST.