Marsden Heights Community College

Marsden Heights Community College is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating in all inspected areas. Pupils are happy and safe, showcasing pride in their school's diverse community and the improvements made in recent years. The school demonstrates high expectations for students' learning and behavior, particularly supporting those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) effectively. The leadership team collaborates closely with the United Learning trust, fostering a supportive environment for staff and students alike.

Strengths

• Pupils feel happy and safe in a friendly environment.
• High expectations for learning and behavior are set by the school.
• The curriculum is ambitious and designed with the support of the trust.
• Teachers show secure subject knowledge and effective teaching practices.
• Strong reading support leads to improved literacy for all pupils.
• Effective behavior management results in rare disruption during lessons.
• Good communication with parents fosters a positive school community.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects have underdeveloped curriculum planning.
• Not all teachers adapt their delivery for pupils with additional needs effectively.
• Careers education lacks timely information regarding post-16 choices.

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 Marsden Heights Community College attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 21.6% 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, 8.2% of pupils at Marsden Heights Community College were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No 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 Marsden Heights Community College had 24.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 30.5% 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, 14.7% of pupils at Marsden Heights Community College were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.1% 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 Marsden Heights Community College received £9,178 and spent £8,852 for each of its 1,049 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £937,000 (£894 per pupil).

Across all 93 schools of United Learning Trust, income was £8,687 and spending £8,616 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 Nelson · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

Marsden Heights Community College is part of United Learning Trust, which runs 98 schools. The nearest others:

• Accrington Academy Accrington
• The Hyndburn Academy Blackburn
• Cravenwood Primary Academy Manchester
• Dukesgate Academy Salford
• Brentnall Academy Salford
• Marlborough Road Academy Salford
• The Lowry Academy Manchester
• The Albion Academy Salford
• Salford City Academy Manchester
• Abbey Hey Primary Academy Manchester

What is Marsden Heights Community College's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Marsden Heights Community College is Good, from an inspection in November 2023.

When was Marsden Heights Community College last inspected by Ofsted?

Marsden Heights Community College was last inspected in November 2023.

How many pupils does Marsden Heights Community College have?

Marsden Heights Community College has 1,047 pupils on roll.

What age range does Marsden Heights Community College cover?

Marsden Heights Community College for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Marsden Heights Community College's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.5, and 41% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Marsden Heights Community College?

Marsden Heights Community College is at Edge End Lane, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 0PR.