Unsworth Academy

Unsworth Academy has been performing well since its opening in 2017, demonstrating good overall effectiveness in education quality, behavior, personal development, and leadership. Leaders have ambitious goals for pupil achievement, which are clearly communicated throughout the school community. The supportive environment fosters student engagement, and well-structured programs help to ensure that most pupils feel safe and confident. Continuous improvements in the curriculum, particularly in key subjects like mathematics, show a commitment to enhancing educational outcomes.

Strengths

• Leaders communicate a clear vision for pupil success.
• Improved examination results year-on-year.
• Strong, supportive relationships between staff and pupils.
• Most teachers are subject experts who deliver engaging lessons.
• SEND pupils receive effective support from trained staff.
• Pupils feel safe and confident in their learning environment.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum planning and sequencing in some subjects need improvement.
• Disadvantaged pupils have lower attendance rates.
• Uncertainty about whether extra-curricular clubs meet the needs of all pupils.

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 Unsworth Academy attended 92.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 22.5% 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, 4.3% of pupils at Unsworth Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 4 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 Unsworth Academy had 17.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.6% 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, 12.6% of pupils at Unsworth Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.5% 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 Unsworth Academy received £8,510 and spent £8,091 for each of its 971 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £577,000 (£594 per pupil).

Across all 30 schools of The Shaw Education Trust, income was £11,108 and spending £10,954 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 Bury · Bury local authority: places and applications

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

• Brookhaven School Bury
• Tottington High School Bury
• Woodhey High School Bury
• The Westleigh School Leigh
• Brookfields School Widnes
• The Russett School Northwich
• Hallwood Park Primary School and Nursery Runcorn
• Kidsgrove Secondary School Stoke-On-Trent
• Kidsgrove Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
• Endon High School Stoke-On-Trent

What is Unsworth Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Unsworth Academy is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Unsworth Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Unsworth Academy was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Unsworth Academy have?

Unsworth Academy has 953 pupils on roll.

What age range does Unsworth Academy cover?

Unsworth Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Unsworth Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.2, and 37% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Unsworth Academy?

Unsworth Academy is at Parr Lane, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 8LP.