Bury Church of England High School Review 2026: A Church school with a clear reading-and-character focus

A Church of England academy with an explicit moral and cultural framework, this is a school that makes the everyday routines do a lot of the heavy lifting. A daily, timetabled reading slot, a defined character curriculum (SHINE), and a pastoral model built around form tutors plus non-teaching year pastoral leads create a predictable structure for students aged 11 to 16.

Academically, outcomes sit in line with the middle 35% of secondary schools in England (25th to 60th percentile) on the FindMySchool GCSE ranking, with a below-average Progress 8 score indicating that, overall, students make less progress than similar pupils nationally. The school is oversubscribed for Year 7 entry, and families need to take admissions paperwork and deadlines seriously, especially where faith-based criteria apply.

The school’s identity is overtly Christian, but positioned as inclusive. Its motto, “let your light shine” (Matthew 5:16), is used as a practical lens for behaviour, service, and personal development rather than as decorative branding.

Worship is not an occasional add-on. Collective worship is described as part of the daily rhythm, with assemblies and form time used for reflection, and a weekly extended form worship session focused on a Biblical passage and its relevance to pupils’ lives. There are also annual services and calendar markers, including carol services and a commemoration service held at Bury Parish Church.

A recent church school inspection describes a refurbished school chapel as a well-used place for reflection and prayer, which matters for parents weighing how visible faith feels day to day. It also highlights the emphasis on social justice projects, including a ‘We Care’ enrichment initiative and the Archbishop’s Award Scheme.

Leadership context is important. Mr Jon-Paul Craig is named as headteacher, and official inspection material notes that the current headteacher was appointed in June 2020.

This is an 11 to 16 school, so the headline measures are GCSE-related. In the FindMySchool GCSE ranking (based on official data), the school is ranked 1,834th in England and 4th in Bury for GCSE outcomes. This places results in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

On attainment and curriculum measures, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 46, and the EBacc average point score is 4.12. Progress 8 is -0.31, which indicates pupils, overall, make below-average progress from their starting points when compared with similar pupils nationally.

The accountability picture from inspection aligns with a “strong foundations, uneven academic consistency” narrative. The latest Ofsted inspection (13 September 2023) graded the school Requires Improvement overall, with Behaviour and attitudes and Personal development graded Good, and Quality of education and Leadership and management graded Requires Improvement.

What that means for families: the behaviour climate and wider development are judged as stable strengths, while academic improvement is still a live agenda. In practical terms, parents should expect a school that is putting time into curriculum refinement, especially around subject sequencing and the depth at which students secure knowledge over time.

If you are comparing options across Bury, the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool can be useful for viewing Progress 8, Attainment 8, and contextual indicators side by side, rather than relying on anecdote.

A clear structural feature is time allocation. Students have six lessons a day, each fifty minutes long.

Key Stage 3 (Years 7 to 9) is built around breadth plus a defined enrichment strand. Weekly lesson allocations include English (4), maths (4), science (3), religious education (2), humanities (history and geography), French, and practical and creative subjects such as art, music, drama, and computing. There is also an “Action for Change” slot and a PSHE, citizenship, and enrichment allocation.

Key Stage 4 (Years 10 to 11) keeps English, maths, science, and religious studies at the core, with option blocks and an explicit intervention allocation. Triple science is available, and the school’s options documentation explains the two pathways clearly, including timetabled lesson differences across cohorts and the point that either route can support progression to A-level sciences with strong grades.

Reading is treated as a core culture, not a library policy. The curriculum page sets out a daily thirty-minute “reading for pleasure” slot with form tutors, framed as a shared experience designed to build discussion and wider cultural literacy. The library is positioned as a live space at break and lunch rather than a background facility.

For remote learning and independent practice, the school describes access to Sparx for maths, English, and science, with work posted via Satchel:One where remote learning access is needed.

As an 11 to 16 school, the key transition point is post-16. The school’s own published materials place significant emphasis on careers education and on keeping digital literacy and careers content visible within the Key Stage 4 week through the SHINE curriculum and a dedicated citizenship, digital literacy, and careers slot.

The practical implication is that students who are undecided at 14 are not left to “drift” until Year 11. Instead, the timetable design signals that planning for the next step is treated as a mainstream expectation. For families, it is worth asking (at open events) what the most common local destinations are, how applications are supported, and how the school helps students match course choices to realistic post-16 routes.

Demand is real. For the Year 7 entry route, the school is oversubscribed, with 449 applications for 158 offers in the most recent admissions dataset provided, a subscription proportion of 2.84 applications per place. The proportion of first-preference offers compared with first-preference applications sits at 1.04, which suggests many applicants name the school highly, and a large share of those applicants still do not receive an offer.

The school does not operate a catchment area. Its published admissions policy for September 2026 states that Year 7 transfer admissions are coordinated by the local authority, and that the planned admission number is 162 pupils.

For families applying for September 2026 entry, Bury Council sets out a clear timetable. Applications open 1 September 2025 and close 31 October 2025. Allocation emails and letters are issued on 2 March 2026, with an appeal deadline of 31 March 2026. Open evenings are typically scheduled across September to October.

Because this is a faith-designated school, families should assume there may be supplementary paperwork alongside the standard local authority application. Bury Council flags that some secondary schools require supplementary information forms and provides a school-specific form in its admissions materials, so it is prudent to check early and submit before the deadline rather than treating it as optional.

If you are trying to judge “how realistic” the school is for your family, FindMySchoolMap Search can help with planning across multiple schools, even where distance is not the only criterion, by giving you an objective view of travel practicality versus alternatives.

Pastoral systems are described in unusually concrete staffing terms, which is helpful for parents who want to know who actually holds responsibility. The published model includes daily support through form tutors, year-group oversight from non-teaching pastoral leads, a Behaviour and Culture Manager, a behaviour mentor offering weekly sessions, and key stage associate assistant heads covering progress and wellbeing. A chaplaincy offer is also listed, alongside a safeguarding team.

The school also sets out an explicit behaviour curriculum and names restorative practice as a central approach, aiming to repair relationships and return students to learning. This matters for families weighing how the school handles low-level disruption versus more serious incidents, and whether the approach is primarily punitive or primarily corrective with structured reflection.

From the church school inspection perspective, relationships are presented as a defining strength, with a strong emphasis on mental health awareness and on staff training to help students in difficulty be noticed and supported.

Extracurricular life is particularly visible through sport and physical activity, with published timetables that make it clear when clubs run and who they are aimed at.

A Term 1 programme (from mid-September) includes basketball and badminton at lunchtime, Year 7 boys football practice and girls netball sessions, plus Dance for All Year Groups, and a girls rugby club (with external coaches) that later swaps to boys rugby after October half term. There are also central venue fixtures for football and netball, and targeted GCSE PE theory intervention sessions for Year 11.

Term 2 shifts the lunchtime pattern towards table tennis and includes trampolining clubs for all year groups, netball practice using tennis courts and the sports hall, plus structured intervention sessions for GCSE PE and OCR Sports Studies. A “School Show Practice for All Year Groups” appears in the after-school schedule, suggesting performance opportunities are part of the weekly rhythm rather than a one-off annual event.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is offered at Bronze level to Year 9, which tends to suit students who respond well to long-term goal-setting and who benefit from recognition that is not purely exam-based.

The school day is clearly mapped. Form time and assembly run 08:40 to 08:55, with six teaching periods and a lunch and reading-form-time block 12:30 to 13:30. Period 6 ends at 15:10.

For travel, the school signposts Transport for Greater Manchester information and publishes its own bus timetable for the academic year, which will matter for families outside walking distance or those balancing multiple school runs.

• Academic consistency is still improving. Progress 8 sits below average, and the most recent inspection grades Quality of education and Leadership and management as Requires Improvement. Families should ask how curriculum changes are being embedded subject by subject, and how impact is monitored for different prior attainment groups.

• Admissions administration matters. The school is oversubscribed, and the local authority timetable is firm for September 2026 entry. If you are relying on faith-based criteria, do not assume the local authority form alone is sufficient, check supplementary requirements early.

• Faith is real and visible. Daily worship structures, church services, and a chapel offer are part of the lived experience. This will suit many families, including those who want a values-led framework, but it is worth attending an open event to understand how that feels for students of different faith backgrounds.

• The timetable is structured and full. A daily reading slot plus a defined pastoral and behaviour curriculum can be reassuring, but students who prefer less structure may take time to adjust.

Bury Church of England High School offers a clearly articulated ethos and a strongly structured student experience, with daily reading time, an explicit character curriculum, and a pastoral model that is described in practical, accountable terms. The academic picture is mixed, with GCSE outcomes in the England mid-range and a below-average progress measure, so families should think in terms of trajectory and fit, not just headline numbers.

Who it suits: students who benefit from clear routines, predictable expectations, and a school culture that places equal emphasis on character, service, and reading habits alongside qualifications; families comfortable with a visible Church of England identity and willing to engage carefully with admissions requirements.