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Unity College

Unity College logo
LA MaintainedSecondary

Unity College

Ages1116
1,416 pupils
Requires Improvement· Mar 2024
Get notified about changes
Get notified about changes

Details

Type

Foundation School

Local Authority

Lancashire

Head Teacher

Ms Jane Richardson

Gender

Mixed

Admissions

Non-selective

Religious Character

Does not apply

Opened

August 2006

Website

www.unity-college.com

Reference Number

135003

About This Data

  • School information is sourced from Get Information About Schools (GIAS), the official UK government register maintained by the Department for Education.

Admissions

How many families applied and received places

Year 7 entry for 2025/26

On Time Applications

Count
Total applications696
As 1st preference221
As 2nd preference185
As 3rd preference287
From another local authority4

Offers on National Offer Day

Count
Total offers298
To 1st preference220
To 2nd preference37
To 3rd preference19
To any preference277
To another local authority0

About This Data

  • Data sourced from the DfE "Primary and secondary school applications and offers" statistics.
  • Total applications includes all preferences (1st through 6th), not just those shown in the breakdown above.
  • Applications and offers from/to another local authority may also appear in preference rows (e.g., a 1st preference from another local authority counts in both rows).
  • "Oversubscribed" means the school received more 1st preference applications than places offered.
  • This school is a foundation school, admissions are controlled by the school's governing body, we advise you contact the school or check their website for further information. This school's local authority is Lancashire.

Pupils

Summary

Total Pupils1,416 (96% of capacity)
Age Range11 – 16
GenderMixed
Boys / Girls50% / 50%
Free School Meals34.2%
English as Additional Language8.5%
SEN Support19.4%
SEN with EHCP2.4%
Overall Attendance86.2%
Persistent Absence40.5%

Class Sizes

Overall Average23.3
Key Stage 10.0
Key Stage 20.0

Total Pupils

Cohort Sizes

Year 7285
Year 8280
Year 9276
Year 10295
Year 11280

Pupil Ethnicities

White British81.6%
Pakistani5.9%
White Other4.0%
White & Asian1.7%
African1.3%
Mixed Other1.1%
Other1.0%
Asian Other0.8%
White & Black Caribbean0.6%
Unclassified0.5%
White & Black African0.4%
Indian0.3%
Bangladeshi0.3%
Black Other0.3%
Chinese0.2%
Irish0.1%
Gypsy/Roma0.1%
Caribbean0.1%

About This Data

  • Data sourced from the National School Census for 2024/25, collected each January.
  • This is not live data. For current availability of places, contact the school or local authority directly.
  • Capacity refers to the maximum number of pupils a school can accommodate. Schools may operate above or below capacity, and spare places may only be available in certain year groups.
  • Persistent absence means a pupil missed 10% or more of their possible sessions during the academic year. Absence rates during 2020–2022 were significantly higher due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Inspections

Ofsted Inspections

9 inspections on record

Current Rating
Requires Improvement· Mar 2024
  • 2024

    School Inspection

    20 March 2024

    View report
    Requires Improvement

    Category Judgements

    CategoryJudgement
    Quality of educationRequires Improvement
    Behaviour and attitudesRequires Improvement
    Personal developmentRequires Improvement
    Leadership and managementRequires Improvement

    AI-Generated Insights

    SEND
    11
    • Some staff lack strategies to support SEND pupils.
    • Needs of pupils with SEND are identified swiftly.
    Curriculum
    11
    • Curriculum not well designed in many subjects.
    • Curriculum is suitably ambitious for most pupils.
    Leadership
    11
    • Governing body does not evaluate impact of improvement strategies.
    • Governing body has developed greater understanding of roles.
    Safeguarding
    11
    • Pupils know they have adults to talk to if they need support.
    • Reading support is underdeveloped and not prioritised.
    Pupil Progress
    11
    • Pupils do not achieve as well as they should.
    • Many pupils complete English Baccalaureate subjects.
    Teaching Quality
    11
    • Teachers lack guidance to design effective learning activities.
    • Most teachers have strong subject knowledge.
    Personal Development
    11
    • Pupils are increasingly confident about health and well-being.
    • Some pupils do not understand discriminatory language impact.
    Behaviour & Attendance
    11
    • Some staff do not apply behaviour systems consistently.
    • Many pupils respect and appreciate behaviour policy improvements.

    Insights are generated by AI from the inspection report and may not be fully accurate.

  • 2018

    Full Inspection

    4 December 2018

    View report
    Good
  • Short Inspection

    12 March 2018

    View report
  • 2014

    Full Inspection

    24 June 2014

    View report
    Good
  • 2011

    Full Inspection

    25 November 2011

    View report
  • Curriculum And Development Visit

    28 April 2011

    View report
  • 2009

    Full Inspection

    10 February 2009

    View report
  • 2008

    Monitoring Visit

    4 July 2008

    View report
  • 2007

    Full Inspection

    28 December 2007

    View report
    Inadequate

About This Data

  • Inspection data is sourced from Ofsted, the official schools inspectorate for England.
  • Ratings may have changed since the last inspection. Always check the latest report for current information.
  • Some inspections (monitoring visits, academy conversions) do not result in a graded judgement.

GCSE Results

ResultSchoolLAEngland
Attainment 8 score39.844.746.9
Grade 5 or above in English and maths34.2%42.7%46.2%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths49.4%61.0%65.4%
Entering EBacc38.8%
EBacc average point score3.53.94.1
Progress 8
-0.21Below average

Pupils at this school made slightly less progress than similar pupils nationally

About This Data

  • Schools are ranked by their Attainment 8 score, which shows overall exam results. This data comes from the Department for Education performance tables.
  • Exam results and progress scores tell you different things. Imagine two children climbing a mountain: one starts at the bottom and climbs halfway up, while another starts a third of the way up and climbs another third. The second child climbed less distance but finished higher up. Exam results show where pupils finished (like height on the mountain), while progress scores show how far they've come since primary school (like distance climbed). Progress scores help you understand how much a school has helped pupils improve, regardless of where they started.

Destinations

Where students go after finishing their studies

Destinations after GCSEs

DestinationSchoolEngland
Staying in education73%86%
...Further education71%37%
...School sixth form34%
...Sixth form college13%
...Other education destinations2%
In employment4%3%
Apprenticeships5%3%
Not in education or employment6%
Destination unknown3%

About This Data

  • This shows where students went after completing their GCSEs, tracked for at least two terms into the following academic year.
  • A sustained destination means the student remained in education, employment, or training for at least two terms (October to March).
  • England averages are shown for comparison. Each school's results will vary based on their student intake and local area.

Workforce

Staff numbers and pupil-to-teacher ratios

Pupils per Teacher or Teaching Assistant

Shows how many children each teacher looks after on average. The lower line includes teaching assistants, giving you a better picture of the adult support available in classrooms.

Total Pupils

The number of children enrolled at this school over time. These figures come from financial records and may differ slightly from other pupil numbers on this site due to when data was collected.

Total Number of Teachers

The total teaching capacity at this school, including classroom teachers and senior staff who also teach. Part-time teachers are counted based on their working hours.

Teaching Assistants

Support staff who work directly with children in classrooms. This includes regular TAs, higher-level TAs with more responsibilities, and specialist support for children with additional needs.

Teachers with Qualified Teacher Status (%)

The percentage of teachers who have completed official teacher training in England. A higher percentage typically indicates a more experienced and formally trained teaching team.

Senior Leadership

The school's leadership team, including the headteacher, deputy heads and assistant heads. These staff manage the school and often still spend time in classrooms.

Non-classroom Support Staff and Auxiliary Staff

Office and admin staff who keep the school running smoothly, plus auxiliary staff like catering teams and site maintenance who look after the building and meals.

Total Headcount and Workforce

Two ways of counting staff: headcount shows total people employed (including part-timers), while workforce counts the equivalent number of full-time positions.

About This Data

  • Data sourced from the DfE School Workforce Census. Numbers may not match exactly other data shown on this site due to different collection timings within the academic year.
  • FTE = Full-time equivalent, representing the total working hours divided by standard full-time hours. Headcount = total number of individuals employed.
  • Senior leadership includes headteachers, deputy headteachers and assistant headteachers.
  • Teachers with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) have completed accredited initial teacher training in England.

Finances

2024/25

Income per Pupil (£)

In 2024/25 the revenue reserve was £948,742 or £668 p/pupil. Schools maintain reserves for unexpected costs, but these funds are ultimately meant to benefit pupils.

Expenditure per Pupil (£)

In 2024/25 the in-year balance was -£130,281 or -£92 p/pupil. A negative balance means the school spent more than it received, covered by drawing on reserves.

About This Data

  • Financial data comes from the DfE School Financial Benchmarking service. Schools report their income and spending each year.
  • Revenue reserve is the money a school has saved up over time. Schools keep reserves to cover unexpected costs, though funds are meant to benefit current pupils.
  • In-year balance shows whether a school spent more or less than it received in a single year. A positive balance means the school had money left over; a negative balance means it dipped into savings.

Contact Information

Address

Townley Holmes
Burnley
Lancashire
BB11 3DF

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