Essa AcademyKing's Leadership Academy Bolton
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Bolton.
Summary of the comparison
Essa Academy and King's Leadership Academy Bolton are secondary schools in Bolton.
Essa Academy scores 71 out of 100 (grade B, strong) and King's Leadership Academy Bolton scores 59 out of 100 (grade C, average). Essa Academy is ahead on our composite score.
Essa Academy was judged strong and King's Leadership Academy Bolton was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 48.9 for Essa Academy and 49.0 for King's Leadership Academy Bolton.
GCSE Attainment 8 has risen at Essa Academy (45.8 in 2021-22, 48.9 in 2025-26) and has risen at King's Leadership Academy Bolton (47.0 in 2023-24, 49.0 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | BoltonEssa Academy | BoltonKing's Leadership Academy Bolton | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | B71/100Stronger figure | C59/100 | |
| Local ranking | 4th of 20 in Bolton Stronger figure | 10th of 20 in Bolton | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: StrongStronger figure | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Academy sponsor led | Free schools | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,055 | 910 | |
| Capacity | 990 | 900 | |
| Location | Bolton, BL3 3HH | Bolton, BL3 3HL | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 48.9 | 49.0 Stronger figure | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 54.4% Stronger figure | 50.8% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 70.6% Stronger figure | 68.7% | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 204 | 179 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,077 | 899 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 46.8% | 33.9% | |
| English as an additional language | 57.8% | 57.2% | |
| SEN support | 13.3% | 11.7% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 2.6% | 2.1% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 7.6% | 7.5% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 23.2% | 23.1% Stronger figure | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Essa Academy
King's Leadership Academy Bolton
Full profiles: Essa Academy · King's Leadership Academy Bolton