Unsworth Academy

About Unsworth Academy

Unsworth Academy is a mixed 11-16 secondary school in Bury that is currently oversubscribed, with 388 applications for 199 places in the 2025/26 admissions round. That is a ratio of nearly two applicants per place, and of the 189 families who put it as their first preference, 186 were offered a spot. The school is running above its official capacity of 935 pupils, with 968 on roll, which suggests real demand from local families. Around 30.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average for secondary schools and a figure that gives a sense of the intake’s socioeconomic mix. The school is non-denominational and has no sixth form, so pupils move on elsewhere after Year 11. Headteacher Martin Stewart leads a school that has seen significant improvement since its last graded inspection, when it was rated Inadequate in 2016.

Academically, Unsworth Academy is performing above the local average. Its Progress 8 score of 0.21 means pupils achieve about a fifth of a grade more per subject than similar pupils nationally, and that puts it third out of 14 schools in Bury and in the top quarter of schools in the North West. The local authority average Progress 8 is -0.02, so the school is comfortably ahead. Attainment 8 sits at 46.5, and 66.1% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths, though the figure drops to 39.4% at grade 5 or above. The EBacc entry rate is 20.6%, with 17.2% achieving the benchmark at grade 4 or above. Progress in maths and the EBacc subjects is positive, but English Progress 8 is slightly negative at -0.16, which is worth noting. Ofsted rated the school Good across the board in its most recent graded inspection in 2019, and an ungraded visit in 2025 confirmed it has improved significantly since then.

The school offers a strong set of facilities, including a swimming pool, theatre, astro turf, sports hall, and dedicated music and art rooms. There is a good range of sports on offer, from football and netball to martial arts and gymnastics, plus clubs like Eco Club, Coding, and a newspaper group. SEND provision covers seven areas, including Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Speech, Language and Communication needs, and Social, Emotional and Mental Health support. Parent View responses from 96 families are broadly positive: 88% of respondents would recommend the school, and strong majorities agree that their child is happy, feels safe, and that the school has high expectations. The school suits families in Bury looking for a non-selective secondary that is academically above the local average, well-regarded by its community, and oversubscribed for good reason.

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