Sir John Thursby Community CollegeUnity College
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Burnley.
Summary of the comparison
Sir John Thursby Community College and Unity College are secondary schools in Burnley.
Sir John Thursby Community College scores 52 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and Unity College scores 41 out of 100 (grade D, below average). Sir John Thursby Community College is ahead on our composite score.
Sir John Thursby Community College was judged Good and Unity College was judged Requires improvement.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 40.3 for Sir John Thursby Community College and 38.0 for Unity College.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Sir John Thursby Community College (44.5 in 2021-22, 40.3 in 2025-26) and has fallen at Unity College (41.6 in 2021-22, 38.0 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | BurnleySir John Thursby Community College | BurnleyUnity College | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D52/100Stronger figure | D41/100 | |
| Local ranking | 47th of 82 in Lancashire Stronger figure | 68th of 82 in Lancashire | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: GoodStronger figure | Ofsted: Requires improvement | |
| School type | Foundation school | Foundation school | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,121 | 1,402 | |
| Capacity | 1,125 | 1,500 | |
| Location | Burnley, BB10 2AT | Burnley, BB11 3DF | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 40.3 Stronger figure | 38.0 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 29.2% | 30.7% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 54.8% Stronger figure | 47.4% | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 219 | 287 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,118 | 1,416 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 39.6% | 34.8% | |
| English as an additional language | 73.3% | 8.5% | |
| SEN support | 8.7% | 19.4% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 2.3% | 2.4% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 8.4% Stronger figure | 13.0% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 26.3% Stronger figure | 35.8% | 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
Unity College
Full profiles: Sir John Thursby Community College · Unity College