Essa Academy

Essa Academy has been performing well, demonstrating a strong standard across various domains, including achievement, attendance, behavior, curriculum, and inclusion. The school has effectively narrowed the achievement gap for disadvantaged pupils and provided robust support for those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The commitment to high-quality teaching and a positive school environment has fostered strong academic outcomes and personal development for all students. The school provides a caring and supportive atmosphere, where leaders are committed to improving pupils’ life chances. With their proactive approach, attendance rates have improved significantly, and pupils exhibit excellent behavior. The leadership team, alongside governors, has built a culture of high expectations and continuous improvement following changes in governance, having joined the Northern Education Trust in June 2024. Overall, Essa Academy is well-positioned to continue its development and effectively support its diverse student body.

Strengths

• High levels of pupil achievement across a range of subjects
• Effective support and guidance for pupils with SEND
• Strong foundations in communication, reading, writing, and mathematics
• Consistent positive behavior among pupils
• Proactive approach to improving attendance
• Well-designed curriculum with logical progression
• Strong leadership with a commitment to continuous improvement
• Ambitious personal development program tailored to pupil needs
• Excellent relationships between pupils and staff

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 Essa Academy attended 92.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.2% 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, 19.1% of pupils at Essa Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Essa Academy had 22.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 50.6% 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, 13.8% of pupils at Essa Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.8% 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 2024–25 Essa Academy received £8,959 and spent £8,498 for each of its 1,079 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,116,000 (£1,034 per pupil).

Across all 30 schools of Northern Education Trust, income was £8,462 and spending £8,166 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

Essa Academy is part of Northern Education Trust, which runs 30 schools. The nearest others:

• Essa Primary Academy Bolton
• The Ferns Primary Academy Bolton
• Kearsley Academy Bolton
• Buile Hill Academy Salford
• Hazlehurst Primary Academy Bury
• Chesham Primary Academy Bury
• Denton Community Academy Manchester
• Mount Pellon Primary Academy Halifax
• Abbey Park Academy Halifax
• Merlin Top Primary Academy Keighley

What is Essa Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Essa Academy is Strong standard, from an inspection in March 2026.

When was Essa Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Essa Academy was last inspected in March 2026.

How many pupils does Essa Academy have?

Essa Academy has 1,055 pupils on roll.

What age range does Essa Academy cover?

Essa Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Essa Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 48.9, and 54% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Essa Academy?

Essa Academy is at Lever Edge Lane, Bolton, Greater Manchester, BL3 3HH.