Kearsley Academy

Kearsley Academy is a strong school with exceptional curriculum and teaching. Leaders have built a highly sequenced curriculum, and teachers use skilful adaptive teaching, focused checks and consistent reading strategies so that pupils build knowledge securely and gaps are addressed quickly. Pupils achieve very well: outcomes, including in English and maths and Progress 8, are above national averages, and disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND make positive progress from their starting points. The school also performs strongly in behaviour, attendance, inclusion, leadership and personal development. Pupils behave maturely, attendance is improving and broadly in line with national figures, and a positive praise culture helps pupils feel they belong. SEND and disadvantaged pupils are well supported, staff morale is high, and the broad LIFE curriculum and enrichment programme support pupils' confidence and wellbeing. Safeguarding standards are met. The school is part of Northern Education Trust, has 780 pupils, and serves a community with above-average free school meal eligibility; it uses three alternative provisions, two of which are unregistered. Leaders' next steps are to continue improving attendance for disadvantaged pupils and reduce persistent absence further. Persistent absence remains above the national average, and the range and quality of enrichment opportunities should continue to grow. Post-16 destinations were also below the national average for 2023 leavers, although the school reports a significant increase in pupils moving to high-quality next steps.

Strengths

• Curriculum and teaching are exceptional, with well-sequenced planning and effective resources.
• Teachers use adaptive teaching and focused checks to meet pupils' needs, including those with SEND.
• Reading is at the heart of the curriculum and weaker readers are supported effectively.
• Pupils achieve very well, with outcomes above national averages in English, maths and Progress 8.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND make positive progress and produce high-quality work.
• Attendance and behaviour are strong, underpinned by a positive praise culture.
• Pupils behave maturely, wear their uniform with pride and value the rewards culture.
• Inclusion is strong, with robust systems to identify and support vulnerable pupils.
• Leadership and governance are strong, with high staff morale and effective professional learning.
• Personal development and wellbeing are strong, with a broad LIFE curriculum.
• A full programme of extra-curricular activities and a robust careers curriculum support pupils' interests.
• Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils feel safe and know how to keep themselves safe.

Areas for Improvement

• Persistent absence remains above the national average.
• Attendance of disadvantaged pupils requires further improvement.
• Levels of persistent absence need to reduce further for all groups.
• Enrichment opportunities need to increase in range and quality.
• Post-16 destinations were below the national average for 2023 leavers.

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 Kearsley Academy attended 90.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 29.3% 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, 16.4% of pupils at Kearsley Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 5 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 Kearsley Academy had 18.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.5% 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, 18.8% of pupils at Kearsley Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.9% 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 Kearsley Academy received £8,607 and spent £8,243 for each of its 786 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £817,000 (£1,039 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

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

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

What is Kearsley Academy's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Kearsley Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Kearsley Academy was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Kearsley Academy have?

Kearsley Academy has 768 pupils on roll.

What age range does Kearsley Academy cover?

Kearsley Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Kearsley Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 51.1, and 66% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Kearsley Academy?

Kearsley Academy is at Springfield Road, Kearsley, Bolton, Lancashire, BL4 8HY.