St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton

St Joseph’s RC Primary School in Bolton has shown notable improvements since its previous inspection, achieving a 'Good' overall effectiveness rating. The school provides a welcoming environment where pupils feel safe and included, emphasizing personal development alongside academic success. Leaders and staff work collaboratively to enhance the quality of education, ensuring that a majority of subjects are taught effectively, although room for improvement remains in history and geography curriculum sequencing.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, welcome, and part of 'the St Joseph’s family'.
• Strong emphasis on personal development with a wide range of extracurricular activities.
• Good-quality training has enhanced staff knowledge and skills.
• Teachers excel in mathematics and science, delivering effective lessons.
• Early years provision effectively supports children's progress and confidence.
• Positive relationships foster good behavior and attitudes among pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum delivery in history and geography requires improvement.
• Planning for early reading activities needs to better account for children's learning needs as they transition from Reception to Year 1.
• Some new subject leaders still need to develop their leadership and monitoring skills.

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 St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton attended 93.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 20.7% 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, 2.6% of pupils at St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton 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 St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton had 18.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 13.6% of pupils at St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.9% 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 St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton received £7,936 and spent £7,932 for each of its 215 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £158,000 (£734 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).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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What is St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton last inspected by Ofsted?

St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton have?

St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton has 220 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton cover?

St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton?

St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton is at Shepherd Cross Street, Halliwell, Bolton, Lancashire, BL1 3EJ.