Burnley High School, Burnley

Ofsted's report card from its 6 May 2026 inspection grades Burnley High School on 6 areas: 1 strong standard and 5 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged, benefit from an extremely high level of care and support."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Even though many pupils begin with very limited prior knowledge, staff remove barriers effectively."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders take decisive action to improve curriculum and teaching."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders identify pupils' needs quickly and accurately."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have an informed view of the school's community which guides their decisions and the school's priorities."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The programme to promote pupils' personal development is increasingly well structured."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should improve the systems for monitoring the impact of additional support given to pupils, particularly in developing literacy and numeracy skills, so that barriers to learning are addressed more effectively"; "Leaders should ensure that staff use information about gaps in pupils' knowledge more accurately so that misconceptions are corrected more quickly"; "Leaders should use enrichment activity tracking data more effectively to widen participation in enrichment opportunities so that the most vulnerable pupils benefit fully from the school's offer"; "Leaders should ensure that older pupils consistently build sufficient depth of understanding of the personal, social, health and economic education curriculum".

In its own words: "At Burnley High School, we are committed to providing the very best education and opportunities for every student. At the heart of our work is a simple belief: children learn best when they feel safe, supported and inspired."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, rugby, tennis, athletics, gymnastics, basketball, badminton, running and STEM.

In 2026, pupils at Burnley High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 38.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.2 in Lancashire and 47 across England.

28% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 44% in Lancashire and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 38.6.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.16: pupils made below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 33.5, against 44 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.5 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.

For September 2026 entry, 126 families put Burnley High School as their first choice and 551 named it as one of their preferences, for 119 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 13 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Burnley High School are Shuttleworth College (0.3 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 38); Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy (2.6 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 40.1); Unity College (3.1 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 38); and Sir John Thursby Community College (3.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 40.3).

Burnley High School's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.

Burnley High School is one of 9 schools run by Education Partnership Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 44.7 in 2024/25.

Of the 102 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 83% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 79% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.

41.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 7.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The nearest railway station is Rose Grove Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.

11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Byron Street (by), 120 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 202 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Lancashire (109), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Burnley High School issued 1 suspension, 0.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to Burnley High School are Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School (0.4 miles); Padiham Primary School (0.5 miles); St Augustine of Canterbury RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy (0.6 miles); and Rosegrove Infant School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.