Accrington Academy

State school · Mixed · ages 11–16 · no sixth form · ChristianLancashire, Accrington BB5school website

About half of sixth-formers go on to university — well above the England rate.

Where this school leads
49%

of sixth-form leavers started university · Lancashire 36% · England 37% · DfE destination measures, students who left in 2023

Knowledge sphere of Accrington Academy: fields of knowledge mapped by the subjects taken here, by ISCED levelLanguage & Communication · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Language & Communication · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 55%Language & Communication · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 32%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Natural Sciences · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 36%Natural Sciences · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 1%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 35%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Health & Safety · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 38%Health & Safety · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Business & Administration · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 1%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 3%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 15%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Transversal Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 18%Transversal Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 42%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%LanguageMathsScienceICTEngineeringHealthBusinessLawSocialArtsTransversalGreen
Ofsted
Inspected
Places
—
Pupils
953
Free school meals
42.0%

Ofsted: Short inspection, 4 March 2025: see the report · report. Places: the last distance at which places were offered is not on file (it comes from Lancashire’s allocation statistics). Pupils: of 1,150 places. Free school meals: pupils eligible, a measure of family income.

Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Accrington Moorhead Sports College (URN 119760).

After Year 11 · age 16

Where do pupils go at 16?

79%stayed in education after Year 11
This school79%
Lancashire81%
England86%

DfE Key Stage 4 destination measures · 183 pupils who left Year 11 in 2023

Accrington Academy has no sixth form. Of the 183 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, none moved to a sixth form college, 58% to a further education college and 7% started an apprenticeship.

Stayed in education — counted only if the pupil was still there for two terms of the next year; apprenticeships and jobs are counted the same way.

Full breakdown11
MeasureAccrington AcademyLancashireEngland
Pupils in the cohort18313,296607,348
Any sustained destination89%90%92%
Stayed in education79%81%86%
— school sixth form21%12%34%
— sixth form college0%20%13%
— further education college58%48%37%
— other education0%2%2%
Apprenticeship7%5%3%
Employment3%4%3%
No sustained destination9%7%6%
Destination unknown2%2%3%
After sixth form · age 18

Where do sixth-formers go at 18?

2%went to one of the most selective universities
This school2%
Lancashire20%
England19%

DfE 16–18 destination measures · 70 students who left in 2023

49% went to university (England 37%). 3% started an apprenticeship (England 7%). 20% went into work and 16% had no steady place a year on (England 28% and 16%).

Most selective universities — the third of UK universities whose entrants hold the highest grades; the share is of students who completed level 3 qualifications.

Full breakdown7
MeasureAccrington AcademyLancashireEngland
Students in the cohort7011,265541,441
Any sustained destination84%80%79%
University (higher education)49%36%37%
— most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students2%20%19%
Further education7%5%5%
Apprenticeship3%10%7%
Employment20%29%28%
No sustained destination16%15%16%
Universities · named

Which universities did they go to?

1university has told us how many applied, were offered a place and enrolled

Named universities — most schools do not publish this; the official DfE figures above only say how many went to university and how selective those universities were.

universities’ answers to sch.today’s Freedom of Information requests · request tracker

What universities’ own admissions data say1

For each entry year: how many of this school’s students applied, received an offer and enrolled. Counts under five are shown as “<5” to protect individuals. Applications exclude Clearing; enrolments are students who completed registration.

UniversityEntry yearAppliedOffersEnrolled
University of Bristol2023<5——

A university’s enrolment count and a school’s own destinations list can differ: the school counts places accepted in the summer, the university counts students registered in the autumn.

GCSE · Year 11 · 2025

How do GCSE results compare?

39.4Attainment 8 score, out of 90
This school39.4
Lancashire45.1
England46.1

Attainment 8 — average GCSE points across eight subjects, English and maths counted twice; grade 5 in everything scores 50.

DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · 186 pupils in Year 11

42% of pupils here are disadvantaged (England 28%). Disadvantaged pupils here scored 33.4 — below disadvantaged pupils across England (34.9).

39% got grade 5 or above in both English and maths (Lancashire 44%, England 45%).

Grade 5 — a “strong pass”; grade 4 is a “standard pass”. Progress 8 is not published for 2025: this cohort had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020–21, so there is no baseline.

All GCSE measures10
MeasureAccrington AcademyLancashireEngland
Attainment 8 (average points per pupil)39.445.146.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths39%44%45%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths57%64%65%
Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects52%34%41%
EBacc average point score3.673.954.09
Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort42%26%28%
Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils33.432.734.9
Attainment 8 — other pupils43.749.350.4
Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2)———
English as an additional language19%12%19%
Subjects · 2025

What do pupils study?

56.52%of the Key Stage 3 and GCSE curriculum mapped by the subjects taken here

Mapped — the share of the 2,029 learning outcomes the Department for Education sets for these stages that the subjects taken here cover, weighted by how many pupils take each.

DfE subject entries 2025 · curriculum catalogue by sch.today

Spanish stands out at GCSE — 55% of the year group took it, against 19% across England.

Language & Communication55%
Green & Sustainability42%
Health & Safety38%
Natural Sciences36%
Engineering & Manufacturing34%

Fields of knowledge — twelve fields the curriculum catalogue sorts every learning outcome into; the bars show the GCSE and A level ring.

GCSE subjects17

Entries as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEnglandGrades 7–9EnglandGrades 4–9
English Language18599%89%11%20%50%
Mathematics18499%88%14%22%63%
English Literature17896%86%11%21%63%
Combined Science16388%65%4%9%50%
Spanish10255%19%8%27%54%
History9451%41%14%26%59%
Geography6937%41%6%25%49%
Design and Technology3117%11%0%23%58%
Art and Design2513%7%20%24%84%
Physical Education2212%11%18%24%82%
Physics1810%23%50%46%100%
Biology1810%23%44%45%100%
Chemistry1810%23%61%47%100%
Drama126%7%0%27%25%
Urdu63%1%83%42%100%
Citizenship Studies42%3%—19%—
Italian21%0%—53%—
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications5
SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Health Studies45100%—
Small Business Management29100%—
Computer Appreciation / Introduction25100%—
Hospitality / Catering Studies17100%—
Sports / Movement Science12100%—
A level subjects4

Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Art and Design——1%
English Language and Literature——2%
Psychology——23%
Sociology——13%
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses3
SubjectQualificationEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Applied SciencesBTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D*12100%—
Health StudiesBTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D*11100%—
Social ScienceVRQ Level 3———
A level results8
MeasureAccrington AcademyLancashireEngland
Students at the end of 16–18 study29——
— of whom A level students54,666261,341
Average A level grade—B-B-
Average points per A level entry—36.4635.00
Average grade, best 3 A levels—B-B-
AAB or better with two facilitating subjects—17%18%
Average grade, applied general courses———
Average grade, T levels———
Fields of knowledge, all stages12
Language & Communication65%
Green & Sustainability53%
Natural Sciences49%
Health & Safety49%
Engineering & Manufacturing40%
Mathematics & Statistics40%
Transversal Skills30%
Arts & Humanities23%
Digital & ICT Skills16%
Law & Public Administration8%
Social & Cultural Skills8%
Business & Administration3%

Ideas pupils meet most, weighted by the share of the cohort taking the subjects that teach them:

fraction 15.9percentage 10.8ratio 10.5vocabulary 9.8gradient 8.7translation 8.1power 7.6reflection 7.4particle model 7.0equation 7.0grammar 6.9root 6.9audience 6.7standard form 6.2energy transfer 6.1area 6.0formulae 6.0impact 5.8evidence 5.4change of state 5.4purpose 5.3context 5.2scale 5.2volume 5.1

Coverage counts a subject’s outcomes in proportion to the share of the cohort entered for it; Combined Science counts as two thirds of the three separate sciences. Levels follow ISCED 2011 as UNESCO maps it for the UK: Key Stage 3 is ISCED 2; GCSE and A level are both ISCED 3. Methodology: about the data.

Careers

Which jobs use what’s taught here?

12apprenticeship standards closely match the subjects pupils take

A match of what’s taught, not of entry requirements: the standards whose knowledge and skills share the most ideas with the GCSEs and A levels taken here, weighted by how many pupils take each subject.

Level 3 / Level 6 — England’s qualification levels: 3 is A level standard, 4–5 are higher apprenticeships, 6 is a bachelor’s degree.

Skills England apprenticeship standards (Open Government Licence v3.0) · ESCO occupations, © European Union, matched by sch.today · how the match works

Water industry asset maintenance technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses ratio, unit conversion, area from Biology, Chemistry, Design and Technology and 7 more · jobs: consumer electronics repair technician, industrial electrician, electrician
Process industry manufacturing technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses pressure, conservation of mass, energy change from Chemistry, Design and Technology, Mathematics and 4 more · jobs: chemical engineering technician, chemical manufacturing quality technician, chemical production manager
ScientistLevel 6 degree apprenticeship · health and science · uses conclusion, data interpretation, sampling technique from Biology, Chemistry, Geography and 3 more · jobs: physicist, analytical chemist, geneticist
More apprenticeships9
Geoscientist (integrated degree)Level 6 degree apprenticeship · health and science · uses data interpretation, climate change, conduct field work from Biology, Chemistry, Geography and 3 more · jobs: geologist, geological engineer, exploration geologist
Science manufacturing technician 2023Level 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses unit conversion, graph, pressure from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and 2 more · jobs: pharmaceutical engineer, chemical manufacturing quality technician, pharmacy technician
Battery manufacturing technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses area, unit conversion, volume from Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and 2 more · jobs: battery test technician
Non-destructive technologies technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses ratio, measurement, data interpretation from Biology, Design and Technology, Geography and 4 more
Water industry network technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses standard form, unit conversion, volume from Chemistry, Design and Technology, Mathematics and 3 more · jobs: sewerage network operative, product quality inspector, sewerage maintenance technician
Data technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · digital · uses mean, integer, presentation from English Language, Geography, Mathematics and 3 more · jobs: data analyst, database administrator, data scientist
Production assistant - screen and audioLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · creative and design · uses spelling, punctuation, grammar from English Literature, English, Modern Foreign Language · jobs: factory hand, supply chain assistant, management assistant
Storyboard artistLevel 7 degree apprenticeship · creative and design · uses presentation, accuracy, interpretation from Art and Design, Drama, English Language and 6 more · jobs: storyboard artist
Junior visual effects - VFX artist or assistant technical director - ATDLevel 4 (higher) apprenticeship · creative and design · uses scale, data collection, computer systems from Art and Design, Chemistry, Physics and 4 more · jobs: 3D modeller, technical director, animation layout artist
Admissions

How do you get a place?

The last distance at which Accrington Academy offered Year 7 places is not yet on file; it comes from Lancashire’s allocation statistics.

  1. 31 OctApply to Lancashire in Year 6 for a Year 7 place
  2. 1 MarNational Offer Day
Lancashire

Compare with nearby schools

Stayed in education at 16 · Attainment 8 · pupils

Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.