Holy Infant and St Anthony RC Primary School

Holy Infant and St Anthony RC Primary School is a smaller-than-average Roman Catholic primary school in an area of well above average deprivation, with above-average proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and pupils with SEN support. A new headteacher and deputy headteacher have been appointed since the last inspection. Safeguarding standards are met, and most areas of the school’s work are judged to be at the expected standard. Achievement and curriculum/teaching are the areas flagged for improvement. The school has notable strengths. Pupils feel a strong sense of belonging, attend regularly and behave well, with bullying rare and staff managing low-level disruption effectively. Early years provision gives children a positive start, with warm relationships, a well-thought-out curriculum and a strong focus on communication, language and phonics. Inclusion is effective, and leaders and governors have a sharp understanding of the school. Personal development and pastoral support are strengths, with pupils accessing a wide range of enriching experiences and developing confidence and responsibility. The main concerns are that pupils’ overall attainment by the end of key stage 2 has been below national averages over time, particularly for disadvantaged pupils in mathematics. Many pupils do not develop writing securely, and errors in handwriting, spelling, punctuation and grammar are not consistently addressed. Some pupils have gaps in wider curriculum knowledge because activities do not always secure intended learning, and recent actions to improve achievement are not yet consistently embedded or showing impact. Overall, this is a caring school with effective leadership and inclusion, but it must improve achievement and the consistency of curriculum delivery and writing across the school.

Strengths

• Pupils feel a strong sense of belonging and are proud of their school
• Pupils attend regularly and behave well in lessons and at social times
• Bullying is rare and staff resolve incidents quickly
• Early years provision gives children a positive and happy start
• The early years curriculum is well thought out and builds independence
• Communication, language and reading have a high priority in early years
• Phonics teaching is effective and helps pupils read unfamiliar words
• Inclusion systems identify needs quickly and support disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND
• Leaders and governors have a sharp understanding of strengths and areas for development
• Staff receive high-quality professional learning and feel well supported
• Pastoral support is a strength, with caring and nurturing relationships
• Pupils access a wide range of visits, clubs and enrichment activities
• Pupils develop responsibility through roles such as pupil parliamentarians and happiness heroes
• Safeguarding standards are met with an open culture of safeguarding

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils’ overall attainment by the end of key stage 2 is below national averages over time
• Disadvantaged pupils’ attainment in mathematics is particularly low
• Published outcomes have not improved despite leaders designing an effective curriculum
• Many pupils do not develop writing skills securely across the school
• Errors in handwriting, spelling, punctuation and grammar are not consistently identified or addressed
• Some wider curriculum activities do not enable pupils to learn what was intended
• Some pupils have gaps in knowledge across the wider curriculum
• Recent actions to improve achievement and close learning gaps are not consistently embedded
• It is too early to see the impact of leaders’ recent improvement actions
• Assessment of writing across subjects is inconsistent

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 Holy Infant and St Anthony RC Primary School attended 94.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.5% 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, 2.5% of pupils at Holy Infant and St Anthony RC 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 Holy Infant and St Anthony RC Primary School had 22.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 2.3% 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, 16.0% of pupils at Holy Infant and St Anthony RC Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.2% 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 Holy Infant and St Anthony RC Primary School received £8,057 and spent £8,099 for each of its 188 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £102,000 (£543 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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• Secondary Schools

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What is Holy Infant and St Anthony RC Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Holy Infant and St Anthony RC Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in February 2026.

When was Holy Infant and St Anthony RC Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Holy Infant and St Anthony RC Primary School was last inspected in February 2026.

How many pupils does Holy Infant and St Anthony RC Primary School have?

Holy Infant and St Anthony RC Primary School has 188 pupils on roll.

What age range does Holy Infant and St Anthony RC Primary School cover?

Holy Infant and St Anthony RC Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are Holy Infant and St Anthony RC Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Holy Infant and St Anthony RC Primary School?

Holy Infant and St Anthony RC Primary School is at Mitre Street, Astley Bridge, Bolton, Lancashire, BL1 6QJ.