SchoolFacts.uk

University Collegiate School

Secondary · Bolton · BL3 5AG

Data updated

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Good

SchoolFacts estimate: Ofsted awarded no overall grade at this inspection

We show the lowest of the four areas Ofsted did judge, listed below. Why some schools have no overall grade →

Quality of education: GoodBehaviour & attitudes: GoodPersonal development: GoodLeadership & management: GoodSafeguarding effective: Yes

Inspected 24 September 2024

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

683 pupils · 81% of 840 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
University technical college
Age range
11–19
Gender
Mixed
Free school meals
46.9% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
57.8% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
11.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
1.8% of pupils (2024/2025)
Sixth form
Yes
Website
ucs-bolton.org.uk
URN
141941

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 91 families named it first for 117 Year 7 places, 0.78 first choices per place. We hold 5 Year 7 admissions rounds for it, 2022 to 2026; none was decided by a published distance. At its inspection on 24 September 2024 Ofsted awarded no overall grade; the lowest of the four areas it judged was Good. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 8.4% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

0.78 first-choice applications per place

117 places offered · 91 first-choice applications · usually has places

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. The council did not publish a cutoff distance for 2026 entry.

Admissions cutoff distance: Year 7

The council did not publish a cutoff distance for 2026 entry.

Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

GCSE results (2024/2025)

91 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
36.7
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
40.7%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
30.8%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
3.1
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

A-level results (2024/2025)

A-level points per entry (England: 35 ≈ B-) SUPP

suppressed (small cohort)

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school36.7
Median of its 12 closest peers44.8
Bolton average46.7
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is behind the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedAttainment 8
Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, ManchesterManchester · 10 miles awayExceptional58.2
Bradford Girls' Grammar SchoolBradford · 31 miles awayGood44.8
London Design and Engineering UTCLondon · 177 miles awayStrong standard49.5
The St Lawrence AcademyScunthorpe · 73 miles awayExpected standard41.1
All Saints Catholic High SchoolLondon · 170 miles awayGood44.1
Ark Acton AcademyLondon · 169 miles awayGood42.1
Holy Trinity Catholic SchoolBirmingham · 80 miles awayGood44
The Khalsa Academy WolverhamptonWolverhampton · 71 miles awayGood49.4
Kings Heath Secondary SchoolBirmingham · 83 miles awayGood40
Bronte Girls' AcademyBradford · 32 miles awayGood48.9
St John Wall Catholic SchoolBirmingham · 76 miles awayGood44.7
Westminster AcademyLondon · 170 miles awayGood48.3

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

Asian Pakistani 32% (Bolton 15%, England 5%) · Black African 19% (Bolton 8%, England 5%) · White British 13% (Bolton 53%, England 59%) · Any other ethnic group 10% (Bolton 3%, England 3%) · Asian Indian 6% (Bolton 8%, England 4%) · Any other White background 5% (Bolton 3%, England 7%) · Any other Asian background 4% (Bolton 2%, England 3%) · Any other Mixed background 3% (Bolton 2%, England 3%) · Not recorded 3% (Bolton 1%, England 2%) · Any other Black background 2% (Bolton 1%, England 1%) · Asian Bangladeshi 1% (Bolton 0%, England 2%) · Mixed White and Asian 1% (Bolton 2%, England 2%) · White Gypsy/Roma 1% (Bolton 0%, England 0%) · other groups together 1%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
8.4%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
22.5%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

8.44 suspensions per 100 pupils and 0 permanent exclusions · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Bolton: 31.53 suspensions and 0.29 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
17.9
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

77% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 8% moved to another state school · 15% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

4.63% of teaching posts vacant, 4.63% filled temporarily · England, secondary academies: 0.45% vacant, 0.33% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

45.7% of teachers took sickness absence, 2.7 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £47,283; 26.2% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2024-25)

This school£8,071
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 77% (77%) · premises 3% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 8% (6%) · supplies and services 12% (11%) · educational supplies 6% (6%) · bought-in professional services 4% (1%) · catering 4% (3%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £0; in-year balance +£701,000

Spending and reserves, last three years Premium

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
86%
Continuing in education
86%
Apprenticeship
0%
Employment
0%

Where students go after sixth form

To university / higher education
38%
Apprenticeship
3%
Employment
15%
Any sustained destination
74%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, DfE destination measures in the 2024/2025 performance tables.

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
1/10among the most deprived tenth of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
1/10among the most deprived tenth of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher20.9%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications36.7%18.1%
In managerial or professional work12.7%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways36.9%18.1%
Residents in very good health53.8%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier52.7%62.3%
Social housing15.2%17.1%
Privately rented32%20.5%
Detached houses6.6%22.9%
Flats8.6%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms15.9%21.1%
Households with no car or van33.5%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01004849 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£120,000167 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£92,000–£159,500the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Semi-detached (10)£158,000
Terraced (110)£140,000
Flat (45)£82,500

Homes around this school are among the cheapest tenth of school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
2an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
22an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
75an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
16an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools