Albany Academy

Albany Academy is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating across all evaluated areas, including the quality of education, behavior and attitudes, personal development, and leadership. The school creates a friendly and supportive atmosphere where pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), feel safe and valued. With an ambitious and broad curriculum, pupils typically progress well, demonstrating positive attitudes towards their learning. Strong pastoral support contributes to a culture of respect and politeness among students, further enhancing their educational experience.

Strengths

• Friendly and welcoming school environment
• Strong pastoral support from committed staff
• Ambitious and broad curriculum reflecting high expectations
• Teachers demonstrate strong subject knowledge
• Effective support for pupils with SEND
• Coherent reading programme improving literacy skills
• Positive attitudes to learning among pupils
• Rigorously analyzed attendance strategies leading to improved rates

Areas for Improvement

• Consistency in assessment strategies across some subjects needs improvement
• Concerns about increased workload for some staff due to curriculum changes

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 Albany Academy attended 91.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 25.2% 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, 10.0% of pupils at Albany 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 Albany Academy had 17.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.4% 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, 25.5% of pupils at Albany Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.4% 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 Albany Academy received £8,039 and spent £7,974 for each of its 723 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £24,000 (£33 per pupil).

Across all 2 schools of Albany Learning Trust, income was £7,559 and spending £7,553 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 Chorley · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

Albany Academy is part of Albany Learning Trust, which runs 2 schools. The nearest others:

• Chorley New Road Primary Academy Bolton

What is Albany Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Albany Academy is Good, from an inspection in June 2024.

When was Albany Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Albany Academy was last inspected in June 2024.

How many pupils does Albany Academy have?

Albany Academy has 725 pupils on roll.

What age range does Albany Academy cover?

Albany Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Albany Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 45.1, and 35% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Albany Academy?

Albany Academy is at Bolton Road, Chorley, Lancashire, PR7 3AY.