Sir John Thursby Community CollegeMarsden Heights Community College
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side.
Summary of the comparison
Sir John Thursby Community College and Marsden Heights Community College are secondary schools.
Sir John Thursby Community College scores 53 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and Marsden Heights Community College scores 58 out of 100 (grade C, average). Marsden Heights Community College is ahead on our composite score.
Sir John Thursby Community College was judged Good and Marsden Heights Community College was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 41.0 for Sir John Thursby Community College and 40.3 for Marsden Heights Community College.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Sir John Thursby Community College (44.5 in 2021-22, 41.0 in 2024-25) and has fallen at Marsden Heights Community College (43.1 in 2021-22, 40.3 in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | BurnleySir John Thursby Community College | NelsonMarsden Heights Community College | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D53/100 | C58/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 45th of 80 in Lancashire | 36th of 80 in Lancashire Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Foundation school | Academy sponsor led | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,118 | 1,048 | |
| Capacity | 1,125 | 1,050 | |
| Location | Burnley, BB10 2AT | Nelson, BB9 0PR | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 41.0 Stronger figure | 40.3 | 46.0 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 30.9% | 33.3% Stronger figure | 45.4% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 50.7% | 53.8% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Entering EBacc | 78.8% Stronger figure | 15.7% | 40.5% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.84 Stronger figure | 3.35 | 4.09 |
| Cohort | 217 | 210 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,118 | 1,048 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 39.6% | 33.5% | |
| English as an additional language | 73.3% | 90.2% | |
| SEN support | 8.7% | 17.6% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 2.3% | 2.6% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 8.4% | 7.9% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 26.3% | 21.6% 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.
Sir John Thursby Community College
Marsden Heights Community College
Full profiles: Sir John Thursby Community College · Marsden Heights Community College