Sunning Hill Primary School

Sunning Hill Primary School is a nurturing, high-performing primary school where pupils are happy, polite and highly engaged in learning. Inspectors found exceptionally strong behaviour and personal development, with children in the early years making excellent progress and being very well prepared for key stage 1. The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced, teachers receive effective training, pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported well, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school also benefits from strong leadership, experienced governors, close relationships with families and positive staff wellbeing. The main areas for improvement relate to reading in key stage 2 and recall of prior knowledge in a small number of subjects. In 2024 there was a slight decline in key stage 2 reading achievement, particularly in accuracy, self-correction and understanding of more difficult vocabulary; the school has made recent curriculum changes, but it is too early to see their impact. In some subjects, teachers do not revisit essential knowledge frequently enough, so some pupils struggle to remember key concepts and vocabulary and cannot always build on prior learning when starting new topics. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2013, following a period of exemption after its previous outstanding judgement. Under the current framework the school received graded judgements for each area but no overall effectiveness grade.

Strengths

• Pupils are very happy and feel well supported in a nurturing school community.
• Pupils respect their own and others’ religions and traditions and have a strong grasp of fundamental British values.
• Pupils rise to the school’s high expectations and show resilience when learning is challenging.
• Children in the early years achieve highly and are exceptionally well prepared for key stage 1.
• Behaviour is exceptional from the early years through to Year 6, including in lessons and at social times.
• Pupils access a wide range of activities, including music, debating, environmental work, charity fundraising and leadership roles.
• The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced from early years to Year 6.
• Teachers have strong subject knowledge and use training, activities and resources that motivate pupils and help them achieve well.
• Early reading is taught expertly, and almost all pupils are fluent and accurate readers by the end of key stage 1.
• Pupils with SEND are identified rapidly and receive the support they need to learn the ambitious curriculum alongside classmates.
• Personal development prepares pupils well for life beyond the classroom, including physical and emotional health and healthy relationships.
• Leaders have a clear vision, governors bring exceptional professional experience, and relationships with families are very strong.
• Staff are proud to work at the school and feel their wellbeing and workload are considered.

Areas for Improvement

• Some key stage 2 pupils’ reading skills are not sufficiently developed in accuracy, self-correction and understanding of more sophisticated vocabulary.
• Recent changes to the key stage 2 reading curriculum have not yet had a significant impact on achievement.
• In a small number of subjects, teachers do not revisit essential prior knowledge frequently enough, so some pupils struggle to recall key concepts and vocabulary and build on previous learning.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Sunning Hill Primary School attended 96.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at Sunning Hill Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Sunning Hill Primary School had 19.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 5.7% of pupils at Sunning Hill Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Sunning Hill Primary School received £6,933 and spent £6,894 for each of its 494 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £398,000 (£805 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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What is Sunning Hill Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sunning Hill Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Sunning Hill Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Sunning Hill Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Sunning Hill Primary School have?

Sunning Hill Primary School has 526 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sunning Hill Primary School cover?

Sunning Hill Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Sunning Hill Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 74% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Sunning Hill Primary School?

Sunning Hill Primary School is at Goldsmith Street, Bolton, Lancashire, BL3 6TR.