SCHOOL PROFILE

Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Primary Voluntary aided school URN 119688
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 58 Published school capacity
Capacity used 43.1% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 3 – 11 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

9 June 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Expected standard
Curriculum & teaching Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Attendance & behaviour Expected standard
Personal development Expected standard
Leadership & governance Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

28 November 2023
Graded inspection Requires improvement
Published 18 January 2024
3 February 2022
Ungraded inspection School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next
Published 21 March 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Voluntary aided school
Phase Primary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Church of England
Local authority Lancashire
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 25 25 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 12 48.0% of pupils
Male pupils 13 52.0% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

8.0%
16.8 pts below England
School 8.0%
Ribble Valley 13.3%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

0.0%
20.3 pts below England
School 0.0%
Ribble Valley 5.0%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
Ribble Valley 0.2%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
100.0%
25
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 16.0% 4 of 25 pupils
4.8 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 16.0%
Ribble Valley 15.4%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 16.0% 4 pupils
England 14.8% 1.2 pts above
EHC plans 0.0% 0 pupils
England 6.0% 6.0 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Speech, language & communication 2
Social, emotional & mental health 1
Specific learning difficulty 1

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2023/24.

2023/24
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

67.0% 8.0 pts above England
School 67.0%
Ribble Valley 64.1%
North West 58.1%
England 59.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

4.81%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

1.41 pts lower than England
School 4.81%
Ribble Valley 4.81%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

7.14%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

8.67 pts lower than England
School 7.14%
Ribble Valley 9.79%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

0.00%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

1.80 pts lower than England
School 0.00%
Ribble Valley 0.70%
North West 1.75%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open primary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

43.1% 45.1 pts below England
Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
43.1%
Ribble Valley
88.5%
North West
90.6%
England
88.2%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information