Unity Academy Blackpool, Blackpool

In its own words: "Unity Academy has a very simple set of values that we ask of everybody in school. These are centred around being Ready, Respectful and Safe. We have worked hard to make our values easy to understand and we share these regularly with all members of our school community."

From the headteacher's welcome: "It's an immense privilege to lead our all-through academy, supported by our enthusiastic students, ambitious staff, supportive parents, and committed governors. Since 2014, Unity Academy has been completely transformed, providing bright, modern learning facilities for all students aged 2 to 16."

The school runs after-school care.

In 2026, pupils at Unity Academy Blackpool averaged an Attainment 8 score of 27.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 38.7 in Blackpool and 47 across England.

14% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 35% in Blackpool and 47% in England.

That is down from 29.3 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -1.94: pupils made well 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 23.5, against 37.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 14.1 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 15 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Art and Design and History.

For September 2026 entry, 102 families put Unity Academy Blackpool as their first choice and 183 named it as one of their preferences, for 112 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Unity Academy Blackpool are St Mary's Catholic Academy (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 44.2); Blackpool Aspire Academy (1 mile, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 37.7); Montgomery Academy (1.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 40.9); and Baines School (1.8 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 47.4).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Unity Academy Blackpool.

Unity Academy Blackpool is one of 10 schools run by Fylde Coast Academy Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 38 in 2024/25.

36 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Unity Academy Blackpool (as of April 2026): 53% would recommend the school, 53% say their child is happy there and 31% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (58%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (31%).

Of the 111 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 69% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 50% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 5% into work.

60.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

The nearest railway station is Layton (Lancs) Rail Station, about 600 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).

6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Warbreck Hill Road (opposite), 150 metres away.

In 2024/25, Unity Academy Blackpool issued 321 suspensions, 33.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 8 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Unity Academy Blackpool are Holy Family Catholic Primary School (0.4 miles), Westminster Primary Academy (0.6 miles), Layton Primary School (0.6 miles) and Moor Park Primary School (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.