Essa Primary Academy

Essa Primary Academy is performing well overall. Inspectors found that leaders have responded rapidly and effectively after a period of turbulence and declining standards, and that many improvements are already benefiting pupils. The curriculum has been overhauled in most subjects and is ambitious and well designed, including in the early years. Early reading is a particular strength: phonics is taught consistently, pupils get books matched to their reading stage, and extra help is intensive and individualised, so more pupils meet the phonics screening standard and many become fluent readers. Pupils are respectful, happy and safe, behaviour is strong, and personal development is well provided for through work on diversity, safety, health and wider experiences. Safeguarding is effective, most pupils attend regularly, and staff feel supported. Some areas still need work. A small number of subjects are still being redeveloped, and delivery is not consistently strong because teachers do not always have clear enough guidance on learning activities that account for pupils' knowledge gaps. Subject leadership and curriculum oversight are developing, so inconsistencies are not always picked up quickly. Support for some pupils with SEND and for some pupils who are new to learning English is not yet effective enough, meaning these pupils do not always achieve as well as they could. Contextually, the school recently joined Northern Education Trust and has seen changes in leadership, including a new principal and vice-principal. It has high pupil mobility and a much higher-than-average proportion of pupils with English as an additional language, and it has recently opened a small specially resourced provision for pupils with complex SEND called The Bridge.

Strengths

• Ambitious and well-designed curriculums across most subjects, including early years
• Strong early reading and phonics provision with individualised support
• Pupils are respectful, happy, safe and behave well
• Effective personal development covering safety, health and diversity
• Refreshed extra-curricular clubs and wider experiences
• Effective governance and support for staff workload and wellbeing
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Most pupils attend school regularly
• Many pupils with SEND achieve well

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum redevelopment is incomplete in a small number of subjects
• Delivery is inconsistent in some subjects because guidance on learning activities and knowledge gaps is not clear enough
• Subject leadership and curriculum oversight are still developing in some subjects
• Support for some pupils with SEND and those new to learning English is not effective enough

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 Primary Academy attended 94.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

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, 0.0% of pupils at Essa Primary Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 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 Primary Academy had 23.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 27.7% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

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, 20.7% of pupils at Essa Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Essa Primary Academy received £7,200 and spent £6,923 for each of its 406 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £429,000 (£1,057 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 Primary Academy is part of Northern Education Trust, which runs 30 schools. The nearest others:

• Essa 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 Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Essa Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Essa Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Essa Primary Academy was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Essa Primary Academy have?

Essa Primary Academy has 387 pupils on roll.

What age range does Essa Primary Academy cover?

Essa Primary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Essa Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Essa Primary Academy?

Essa Primary Academy is at Lever Edge Lane, Bolton, Lancashire, BL3 3HH.