School profile

Marsden Heights Community College

Secondary · Academy sponsor led · Nelson, BB9 0PR

Good

Map showing Marsden Heights Community College

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#2,428 of 3,312

Worse than 73% of schools in England

Ranked by Attainment 8 score, state-funded mainstream schools.

Marsden Heights Community College Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 3 Oct 2023

Ofsted rating
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeAcademy sponsor led
Ages11 to 16
Pupils1,047
GenderMixed
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMr James Delve
TrustUNITED LEARNING TRUST
Local authorityLancashire
Opened01 Nov 2020
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 146276.

GCSE results

2025/26

GCSE and equivalent results at the end of year 11. Attainment 8 averages results across 8 subjects.

MeasureThis schoolLancashireEngland
Attainment 8 scoreResults across 8 subjects, English and maths count twice. 50 is about a grade 5 average.41.5, worse than England, worse than Lancashire45.346.2
Grade 4 or above in English and mathsGrade 4 is a standard pass.57.4%, worse than England, worse than Lancashire63.5%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and mathsGrade 5 is a strong pass.41.1%, worse than England, similar to Lancashire43.8%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and mathsGrade 7 is roughly an old A grade.8.1%, worse than England, worse than Lancashire12.4%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths55.5%, worse than England, worse than Lancashire59.1%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4209--

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 performance, Academic year 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils1,047
Girls508
Boys539
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.35.4%
First language not English84.8%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.1,050
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.0.3%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.154
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.32
Average class size25.3

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

Pakistani
83%
White British
3.7%
Other Asian
3.4%
White and Asian
2.2%
Other ethnic group
2%
Other mixed
1.8%
Other White
1.7%
Bangladeshi
0.3%
African
0.3%
Gypsy/Roma
0.1%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher24
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.14.8
Teachers (FTE)43.71
Teaching assistants (FTE)16.95
Support staff (FTE)36.47
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2555.4
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2538.5
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/255
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/2511.9

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Year 7)Places offered on national offer day.205
Applications (Year 7)Includes every preference parents listed.463
First preference applications (Year 7)Families who put this school as their first choice.209
First preference offers (Year 7)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.186
Applications from another local authority (Year 7)1

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolLancashireEngland
Overall absence6.7%, better than England, better than Lancashire8.1%8%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.18.5%, better than England, better than Lancashire21.8%21.6%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.2.2%, better than England, better than Lancashire3.5%3.6%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate12.1%
Pupils with one or more suspensions8.2%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Destinations after GCSEs

2023/24

Where pupils went after year 11, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destinationIn education, an apprenticeship or work for at least two terms.91.7%
Staying in educationSixth form, college or further education.90.7%
Further education90.2%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.5.4%
School sixth form0.5%
Apprenticeship0.5%
Employment0.5%
Sixth form college0%

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 destination measures, Academic year 2024/25, published 15 Oct 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Marsden Heights Community College
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.3 miPrimaryHoly Trinity Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyAcademy converter
Good
0.3 miPrimaryNelson St Paul's Church of England Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good
0.4 miPrimarySt John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyAcademy converter
Requires improvement
0.4 miNurseryWoodfield Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school
Good
0.5 miPrimaryMarsden Community Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.5 miPrimaryPendle Primary AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.6 miPrimaryReedley Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.6 miNurseryMcMillan Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school
Good
0.7 miPrimaryWhitefield Infant School and NurseryCommunity school
Outstanding
0.7 miNot applicableEdenfield Girls' High SchoolOther independent school
Unrated

Frequently asked questions about Marsden Heights Community College

What is Marsden Heights Community College's Ofsted rating?

Marsden Heights Community College is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected on 3 Oct 2023.

How does Marsden Heights Community College rank in England?

Marsden Heights Community College ranks 2,428 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (worse than 73% of schools).

What are Marsden Heights Community College's GCSE results?

In 2025/26, 41.1% of pupils at Marsden Heights Community College got grade 5 or above in English and maths (England 46.3%). The Attainment 8 score was 41.5 (England 46.2).

How hard is it to get into Marsden Heights Community College?

For Year 7 entry in 2026/27, Marsden Heights Community College made 205 offers from 463 applications (2.3 per offer), and 186 of 209 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Marsden Heights Community College?

Marsden Heights Community College has 1,047 pupils aged 11 to 16.

What is the capacity of Marsden Heights Community College?

Marsden Heights Community College had 1,050 school places in 2024/25.

Does Marsden Heights Community College have a sixth form?

No, Marsden Heights Community College teaches pupils up to age 16.

How big are classes at Marsden Heights Community College?

At Marsden Heights Community College, the average class had 25.3 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 24 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Marsden Heights Community College?

In 2025/26, pupils at Marsden Heights Community College missed 6.7% of sessions (England 8%), and 18.5% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 21.6%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.