Kearsley AcademySt James's Church of England High School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Bolton.
Summary of the comparison
Kearsley Academy and St James's Church of England High School are secondary schools in Bolton.
Kearsley Academy scores 64 out of 100 (grade C, average) and St James's Church of England High School scores 61 out of 100 (grade C, average). Kearsley Academy is ahead on our composite score.
Kearsley Academy was judged Good and St James's Church of England High School was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 51.8 for Kearsley Academy and 53.5 for St James's Church of England High School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has risen at Kearsley Academy (48.3 in 2021-22, 51.8 in 2024-25) and has risen at St James's Church of England High School (50.1 in 2021-22, 53.5 in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | BoltonKearsley Academy | BoltonSt James's Church of England High School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C64/100Stronger figure | C61/100 | |
| Local ranking | 6th of 20 in Bolton Stronger figure | 7th of 20 in Bolton | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Academy sponsor led | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 780 | 1,064 | |
| Capacity | 950 | 1,050 | |
| Location | Bolton, BL4 8HY | Bolton, BL4 9RU | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 51.8 | 53.5 Stronger figure | 46.0 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 59.4% Stronger figure | 57.5% | 45.4% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 72.7% | 81.6% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Entering EBacc | 34.3% | 38.2% Stronger figure | 40.5% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.47 | 4.69 Stronger figure | 4.09 |
| Cohort | 143 | 207 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 780 | 1,064 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 42.7% | 21.8% | |
| English as an additional language | 17.8% | 12.1% | |
| SEN support | 15.8% | 11.7% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 2.7% | 5.5% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 9.6% | 6.5% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 29.3% | 16.6% 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.
Kearsley Academy
St James's Church of England High School
Full profiles: Kearsley Academy · St James's Church of England High School