King's Leadership Academy Bolton

King’s Leadership Academy Bolton has been evaluated as a good school, demonstrating a welcoming atmosphere where pupils exhibit respect and tolerance towards each other. The academy has made significant developments in education quality, with a strong emphasis on personal development and engagement, particularly among pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It has effectively created a calm learning environment and offers a broad curriculum that promotes academic success and personal resilience, thanks in part to the support from the Great Schools Trust. Despite these strengths, there are notable areas for improvement, particularly regarding the breadth of subject choices available to pupils in key stage 4, which may hinder their preparation for future education paths. Additionally, while assessment strategies are generally well-implemented, there are inconsistencies that lead to gaps in some pupils' learning, requiring further attention to ensure all students can achieve their full potential.

Strengths

• Welcoming and friendly school environment
• Strong relationships between pupils and teachers
• Effective behaviour management strategies creating calm classrooms
• Rich personal development programme including extracurricular activities
• Prompt and effective support for pupils with reading difficulties
• Impartial careers advice and opportunities for work experience
• Engagement with parents to enhance pupils' learning

Areas for Improvement

• Limited breadth of subject choices in key stage 4
• Inconsistent use of assessment strategies by some teachers leading to gaps in learning

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 King's Leadership Academy Bolton attended 92.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.1% 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, 8.9% of pupils at King's Leadership Academy Bolton 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 King's Leadership Academy Bolton had 17.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.0% 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, 10.2% of pupils at King's Leadership Academy Bolton were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.5% 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 King's Leadership Academy Bolton received £8,318 and spent £8,038 for each of its 900 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £387,000 (£430 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of The Great Schools Trust, income was £8,583 and spending £8,402 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

King's Leadership Academy Bolton is part of The Great Schools Trust, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• King's Leadership Academy Warrington Warrington
• King's Northway Primary Academy Liverpool
• King's Leadership Academy Wavertree Liverpool
• King's Leadership Academy Hawthornes Bootle
• King's Lander Primary Academy Liverpool
• King's Leadership Academy, Liverpool Liverpool

What is King's Leadership Academy Bolton's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for King's Leadership Academy Bolton is Good, from an inspection in November 2023.

When was King's Leadership Academy Bolton last inspected by Ofsted?

King's Leadership Academy Bolton was last inspected in November 2023.

How many pupils does King's Leadership Academy Bolton have?

King's Leadership Academy Bolton has 910 pupils on roll.

What age range does King's Leadership Academy Bolton cover?

King's Leadership Academy Bolton for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are King's Leadership Academy Bolton's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 49.0, and 51% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is King's Leadership Academy Bolton?

King's Leadership Academy Bolton is at Freshfield Avenue, Bolton, BL3 3HL.