King's Leadership Academy Bolton
similar schools
King's Leadership Academy Bolton is a free school in Bolton for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 910 pupils, 10 more than it has places for. About 35 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 38 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 16% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.
Freshfield Avenue, Bolton, BL3 3HL01204 937130kingsbolton.comMr Jason Roberts headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 17 October 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
175 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Bolton | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 175 | 166 | 0 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 45.4 | 47.0 | – | 46.7 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | +0.14 | – | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 43% | 54% | – | 45% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 61% | 65% | – | 66% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 4.28 | 4.44 | – | 4.07 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 85% | 89% | – | 36% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 39.9 | 43.9 | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 48.4 | 48.2 | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 29.0 | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 62.8 | – | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 15 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Strongest subjects
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Art and Design (22% here, 58% across England), Spanish (25% here, 54% across England), Computer Science (29% here, 56% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 173 | 17% | 48% | 62% | 53% | 1,843 of 3,211 |
| English Literature | 173 | 16% | 61% | 84% | 58% | 1,207 of 3,202 |
| English Language | 173 | 13% | 56% | 76% | 54% | 1,325 of 3,210 |
| Religious Studies | 166 | 18% | 54% | 70% | 60% | 1,227 of 1,825 |
| Spanish | 150 | 4% | 25% | 41% | 54% | 1,773 of 1,941 |
| Combined Science | 137 | 4% | 28% | 53% | 36% | 2,051 of 3,084 |
| Geography | 92 | 23% | 47% | 64% | 51% | 1,620 of 3,116 |
| History | 69 | 23% | 58% | 71% | 52% | 1,049 of 3,126 |
| Art and Design | 67 | 6% | 22% | 52% | 58% | 2,665 of 2,818 |
| Computer Science | 48 | 4% | 29% | 40% | 56% | 1,602 of 1,861 |
| Biology | 32 | 47% | 97% | 97% | 82% | 575 of 2,570 |
| Chemistry | 31 | 61% | 100% | 100% | 81% | 305 of 2,537 |
| Physics | 31 | 58% | 100% | 100% | 82% | 293 of 2,546 |
| Other Modern Languages | 22 | 27% | 27% | 27% | 49% | 423 of 454 |
| Music | 8 | 0% | 13% | 25% | 61% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Open to all. There is no entrance test.
The school is full, with 8 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have grown by 69% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Bolton council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (36), language and communications needs (35), Moderate learning difficulty (27), Physical disability (7), Vision impairment (4), Autistic spectrum disorder (3).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 910 | 899 | 910 | 717 | 539 | 360 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 35% | 33% | 29% | 28% | 28% | 29% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 61% | 57% | 55% | 52% | 51% | 48% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 12% | 11% | 14% | 11% | 11% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 2% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 2% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 7.5% | 7.4% | 6.5% | 6.2% | 3.8% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 5.2% | 3.3% | 4.1% | 3.5% | 2.4% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.3% | 4.2% | 2.4% | 2.7% | 1.3% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 23.1% | 20.6% | 19.5% | 20.2% | 10.1% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 23.9 | 22.9 | 15.5 | 2.4 | 0.0 | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essa Academy | Academy | 450 m | 1,055 | Report card 2026 | 83 | Compare |
| Mount St Joseph RC High School a Voluntary Academy | Academy | 0.7 miles | 895 | Requires improvement 2023 | 2 | Compare |
| Bolton Muslim Girls School | Academy | 0.8 miles | 774 | No overall grade 2025 | 86 | Compare |
| St James's Church of England High School | Academy | 1.1 miles | 1,053 | Good 2022 | 70 | Compare |
| Harper Green School | Academy | 1.2 miles | 1,070 | Good 2023 | 36 | Compare |
| University Collegiate School | University technical college | 1.3 miles | 683 | No overall grade 2024 | 20 | Compare |
| Ladybridge High School | Council | 1.7 miles | 1,136 | Good 2022 | 39 | Compare |
| Star Salford Academy | Free school | 2.1 miles | 389 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares King's Leadership Academy Bolton with the 49 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 49 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than King's Leadership Academy Bolton, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharples School | Academy | 3.6 miles | 1,214 | Not inspected | 92 | Compare |
| Our Lady's RC High School | Roman Catholic | 9.2 miles | 1,046 | Report card 2025 | 84 | Compare |
| The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy | Free school | 13.1 miles | 950 | No overall grade 2025 | 87 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 38 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 38% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 28 to 49. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | in line | +0.01 | 2025 and 2024 results; 175 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 2.9 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | above | +0.08 | DfE progress measure; 175 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | well below | -0.23 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | +0.02 | 2024/25; 940 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | below | -0.10 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 175 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 0% | no data | – | |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is King's Leadership Academy Bolton a good school?
It is about average. King's Leadership Academy Bolton scores 38 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 16% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 28 to 49, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.
What is King's Leadership Academy Bolton's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated King's Leadership Academy Bolton good at its last full inspection on 17 October 2023.
How good are King's Leadership Academy Bolton's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 43% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 45.4, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished a little ahead of children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does King's Leadership Academy Bolton have?
910 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 900 places, so it is 101% full.
Is King's Leadership Academy Bolton oversubscribed?
Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 8 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.
What is attendance like at King's Leadership Academy Bolton?
Pupils were in school 92.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 23% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at King's Leadership Academy Bolton?
The average class had 25.2 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 23% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does King's Leadership Academy Bolton have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Freshfield Avenue, Bolton, BL3 3HL
- Telephone
- 01204 937130
- Website
- www.kingsbolton.com
- Headteacher
- Mr Jason Roberts
- Type of school
- Free school (Free schools, free schools)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- The Great Schools Trust (8 schools)
- Local authority
- Bolton
- Ward
- Great Lever
- Constituency
- Bolton South and Walkden
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 2 September 2019 (new provision)
- URN
- 147077 · LAESTAB 3504004 · UKPRN 10083780
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.