University Collegiate School
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University Collegiate School is an university technical college in Bolton for boys and girls aged 11 to 19. It has 683 pupils and room for 840. About 47 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 20 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 30% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.
85 Deane Road, The Stoller Building, Bolton, BL3 5AG01204 928700ucs-bolton.org.ukMr Ian Barry headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 24 September 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
91 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 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | Bolton | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 91 | 30 | 51 | 39 | 56 | 54 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 36.7 | 35.2 | 33.7 | 32.0 | 37.0 | 38.6 | 46.7 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.98 | -0.87 | -1.07 | -0.80 | -0.46 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 31% | 30% | 27% | 21% | 23% | 17% | 45% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 41% | 50% | 53% | 33% | 48% | 44% | 66% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.14 | 3.01 | 2.93 | 2.86 | 3.31 | 3.56 | 4.07 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 11% | 7% | 4% | 23% | 38% | 41% | 36% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 32.1 | 29.9 | 28.7 | 25.9 | 32.1 | 37.0 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 41.8 | 37.8 | 41.0 | 36.7 | 42.5 | 39.2 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 23.4 | 20.6 | 22.6 | – | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | – | 46.4 | 51.8 | 50.4 | 51.2 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 14 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.
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Business (0% here, 51% across England), Geography (21% here, 51% across England), Physics (59% here, 82% across England), English Literature (39% here, 58% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Literature | 91 | 9% | 39% | 54% | 58% | 2,769 of 3,202 |
| English Language | 91 | 13% | 37% | 52% | 54% | 2,705 of 3,210 |
| Mathematics | 90 | 8% | 36% | 47% | 53% | 2,724 of 3,211 |
| Combined Science | 72 | 3% | 26% | 38% | 36% | 2,162 of 3,084 |
| Geography | 52 | 8% | 21% | 33% | 51% | 2,939 of 3,116 |
| History | 41 | 15% | 34% | 46% | 52% | 2,596 of 3,126 |
| Biology | 17 | 35% | 65% | 88% | 82% | – |
| Chemistry | 17 | 35% | 65% | 94% | 81% | – |
| Physics | 17 | 24% | 59% | 82% | 82% | – |
| Business | 15 | 0% | 0% | 20% | 51% | – |
| Social Studies | 14 | 21% | 43% | 50% | 54% | – |
| Religious Studies | 13 | 39% | 77% | 85% | 60% | – |
| Art and Design | 12 | 17% | 50% | 58% | 58% | – |
| Other Modern Languages | 7 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 49% | – |
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.
A level and sixth-form results, 2025
34 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 34 | 40 | 39 | 25 | 73 | 84 |
| Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry | – | 23.14 | 23.14 | – | 30.91 | 24.68 |
| Average A level grade | – | D+ | D+ | – | C | D+ |
| Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS | – | 24.55 | 23.14 | – | 25.42 | 17.45 |
| AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects | – | 9% | 12% | – | 0% | 6% |
| A level progressA level value added | -0.01 | +0.21 | – | – | +0.49 | -0.07 |
| Applied general courses: points per entry | 32.26 | 26.86 | 27.79 | 31.29 | – | – |
| Stayed and finishedRetained and assessed | – | 83% | 100% | 50% | 32% | 33% |
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. 2 of the 3 gaps are 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
Admissions policy not published.
About 93 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have grown by 57% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.
How places were given out for September 2026.
| Entry | Places | Applied at all | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Secondary | 120 | 247 | – | LA |
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: language and communications needs (23), Specific learning difficulty (16), Moderate learning difficulty (15), emotional and mental health (15), Autistic spectrum disorder (7), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (5).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 683 | 604 | 542 | 491 | 394 | 235 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 45% | 45% | 37% | 43% | 36% | 35% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 58% | 58% | 51% | 43% | 47% | 37% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 11% | 14% | 14% | 9% | 17% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 2% | 1% | 1% | 2% | 0% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.0% 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 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 9.0% | 8.4% | 10.4% | 9.7% | 5.2% | 8.3% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.5% | 5.2% | 7.7% | 7.7% | 3.9% | 6.4% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 4.5% | 3.2% | 2.7% | 2.0% | 1.3% | 1.9% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 26.1% | 24.3% | 34.3% | 31.3% | 14.4% | 31.1% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 8.4 | 9.6 | 40.5 | 17.0 | 6.8 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 51 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 80%, compared with 95% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 86% | 90% | 88% | 98% |
| Education | 86% | 80% | 82% | 90% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 10% | 0% | 7% |
| Work | 0% | 0% | 6% | 0% |
| Not in education, work or training | 10% | 10% | 8% | 2% |
After sixth form
Where the 34 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 55%, compared with 83% for everyone else.
Where the ones heading for university went
Among students from low-income families, 67% went on to degree-level study or training.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 74% | 79% | 88% | – |
| Education | 56% | 38% | 64% | – |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 4% | 0% | 0% |
| Work | 15% | 38% | 24% | – |
| Not in education, work or training | 18% | 8% | 12% | – |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bolton Muslim Girls School | Academy | 810 m | 774 | No overall grade 2025 | 86 | Compare |
| Essa Academy | Academy | 1.2 miles | 1,055 | Report card 2026 | 83 | Compare |
| King's Leadership Academy Bolton | Free school | 1.3 miles | 910 | Good 2023 | 38 | Compare |
| Eden Boys' School, Bolton | Free school | 1.3 miles | 621 | Outstanding 2023 | 89 | Compare |
| Mount St Joseph RC High School a Voluntary Academy | Academy | 1.5 miles | 895 | Requires improvement 2023 | 2 | Compare |
| Ladybridge High School | Council | 1.5 miles | 1,136 | Good 2022 | 39 | Compare |
| Smithills School | Academy | 1.9 miles | 1,203 | Report card 2026 | 11 | Compare |
| Thornleigh Salesian College | Roman Catholic | 1.9 miles | 1,574 | No overall grade 2024 | 25 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares University Collegiate School with the 50 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 50 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 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than University Collegiate School, 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essa Academy | Academy | 1.2 miles | 1,055 | Report card 2026 | 83 | Compare |
| Harper Green School | Academy | 1.9 miles | 1,070 | Good 2023 | 36 | Compare |
| Our Lady's RC High School | Roman Catholic | 9.5 miles | 1,046 | Report card 2025 | 84 | Compare |
| The Hollins | Academy | 11.9 miles | 794 | Not inspected | 27 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 20 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 20% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 12 to 33. 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% | below | -0.21 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 91 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 2.0 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | well below | -0.27 | DfE progress measure; 91 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | well above | +0.12 | results and attendance rising year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | -0.01 | 2024/25; 616 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | well below | -0.13 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 91 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | below | -0.05 | 51 pupils |
| 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 University Collegiate School a good school?
The figures are weak. University Collegiate School scores 20 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 30% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 12 to 33, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is University Collegiate School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated University Collegiate School not judged at its last full inspection on 24 September 2024.
How good are University Collegiate School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 31% 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 36.7, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished most of a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does University Collegiate School have?
683 pupils aged 11 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 840 places, so it is 81% full.
Is University Collegiate School oversubscribed?
Probably not. 93 places were empty in 2024/25 (13% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at University Collegiate School?
Pupils were in school 91.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 26% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at University Collegiate School?
The average class had 21.7 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 7% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does University Collegiate School have a sixth form?
Yes.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- 85 Deane Road, The Stoller Building, Bolton, BL3 5AG
- Telephone
- 01204 928700
- Website
- ucs-bolton.org.uk
- Headteacher
- Mr Ian Barry
- Type of school
- University technical college (University technical college, free schools)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-19, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- Quest (a Church of England Schools Trust) (5 schools)
- Local authority
- Bolton
- Ward
- Rumworth
- Constituency
- Bolton South and Walkden
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2015 (new provision)
- URN
- 141941 · LAESTAB 3504002 · UKPRN 10053984
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.
- Admissions outcomes: Bolton council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2026.
- 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.