Claypool Primary School

Claypool Primary School is a small, inclusive primary with a specialist SEN unit for pupils with autism and/or severe learning difficulties. Most aspects of provision are judged at the expected standard, and safeguarding is met. Pupils are proud of their school, behave calmly and respectfully, and benefit from strong attendance work, a well-designed personal development programme, and effective early years provision. Leadership and governance are a notable strength: leaders know the school well, have acted decisively on weaknesses, and have positive relationships with staff and families. The main concern is achievement. Phonics screening has been weak over time, some pupils carry reading gaps into key stage 2, and 2025 Year 6 outcomes were considerably below national averages in reading, mathematics and the combined measure. Disadvantaged pupils also performed well below national averages, with large gaps in reading and mathematics. Leaders have already improved curriculum design and phonics teaching for younger pupils, and current pupils are progressing well, but the impact is not yet visible in end-of-key-stage tests. Inspection next steps focus on strengthening support for older pupils' reading, making SEND adaptations more consistent across subjects, improving assessment consistency, and giving pupils more opportunities to write at length. There is also some unevenness in how quickly teachers address errors and misconceptions. Overall, the school has clear strengths in culture, inclusion and leadership, but needs to secure better outcomes for all pupils, particularly in reading and mathematics and for disadvantaged pupils.

Strengths

• Pupils are polite, kind and respectful, with calm behaviour and positive attitudes to learning.
• Attendance work is effective; overall absence and persistent absence are below national averages.
• The curriculum is ambitious and well ordered, with secure subject knowledge in most teaching.
• Early years provision is strong, especially in communication, language and early reading.
• The SEN unit provides a highly bespoke curriculum that supports pupils' individual needs well.
• Leaders, governors and staff work together effectively, with positive relationships and thoughtful workload management.
• Personal development is well organised and helps pupils become mature, responsible and active citizens.
• Safeguarding arrangements are robust and create an open culture of safety.
• Leaders act quickly on weaknesses, including introducing a new phonics programme to improve reading.
• Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are included well in school life and enrichment opportunities.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement is a flagged concern, with 2025 Year 6 results considerably below national averages.
• Phonics screening outcomes have been weak over time, and reading gaps persist into key stage 2.
• Some staff supporting older pupils lack the expertise to close reading gaps quickly.
• Some teachers do not adapt learning for pupils with SEND as well as they could.
• Assessment approaches are not consistently applied, so errors and misconceptions are not always addressed promptly.
• Pupils have limited opportunities to write at length and build writing stamina.
• Disadvantaged pupils' performance is below national averages, with particularly large gaps in reading and mathematics.
• Some teachers do not act quickly enough to correct errors, slowing progress for some pupils.

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 Claypool Primary School attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.1% 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, 0.9% of pupils at Claypool Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Claypool Primary School had 22.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.4% 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, 7.8% of pupils at Claypool Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 8.3% 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 Claypool Primary School received £7,795 and spent £8,128 for each of its 218 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £54,000 (-£246 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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All schools in Bolton · Bolton local authority: places and applications

What is Claypool Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Claypool Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Claypool Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Claypool Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Claypool Primary School have?

Claypool Primary School has 218 pupils on roll.

What age range does Claypool Primary School cover?

Claypool Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 34% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Claypool Primary School?

Claypool Primary School is at Salisbury Road, Horwich, Bolton, Lancashire, BL6 6LN.