Unity CollegeBurnley High School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Burnley.
Summary of the comparison
Unity College and Burnley High School are secondary schools in Burnley.
Unity College scores 41 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and Burnley High School scores 54 out of 100 (grade D, below average). Burnley High School is ahead on our composite score.
Unity College was judged Requires improvement and Burnley High School was judged the expected standard.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 38.0 for Unity College and 38.9 for Burnley High School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Unity College (41.6 in 2021-22, 38.0 in 2025-26) and has fallen at Burnley High School (41.9 in 2021-22, 38.9 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | BurnleyUnity College | BurnleyBurnley High School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D41/100 | D54/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 68th of 82 in Lancashire | 45th of 82 in Lancashire Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Requires improvement | Ofsted: ExpectedStronger figure | |
| School type | Foundation school | Free schools | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,402 | 579 | |
| Capacity | 1,500 | 600 | |
| Location | Burnley, BB11 3DF | Burnley, BB12 6NX | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 38.0 | 38.9 Stronger figure | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 30.7% Stronger figure | 28.3% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 47.4% Stronger figure | 46.2% | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 287 | 106 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,416 | 607 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 34.8% | 40.4% | |
| English as an additional language | 8.5% | 6.1% | |
| SEN support | 19.4% | 16.3% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 2.4% | 2.3% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 13.0% | 8.0% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 35.8% | 23.6% 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.
Unity College
Burnley High School
Full profiles: Unity College · Burnley High School