St Bartholomew's CofE Primary School

St Bartholomew’s CofE Primary School is a highly inclusive and caring primary school where pupils’ success and well-being are central. Pupils say they feel safe and happy, relationships with staff are strong, and the school provides extensive support for social, emotional and mental health needs. Pupils are respectful, tolerant and proud of their school, and many achieve well, including pupils with SEND. The school is ambitious for pupils academically and socially, and the curriculum is mapped from early years through to Year 6. Early reading is a notable strength: children get a secure start, most pupils become fluent and confident readers by the end of Year 2, and staff work determinedly to help those who struggle. The curriculum is generally taught well and in order, and safeguarding is effective. Governance is effective, staff workload is managed well, and staff morale is high. Pupils benefit from a wide range of trips, visits, sporting events and enrichment opportunities. The main areas for improvement are limited but important. In a small number of subjects where the curriculum is new, staff have not yet developed the expertise to deliver activities that help pupils learn as deeply as intended. In addition, some errors in pupils’ work occasionally go unchecked, which means a small number of pupils carry gaps in their foundational and subject-specific knowledge. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the previous inspection grade was good.

Strengths

• Strong sense of community and inclusion
• Caring relationships and extensive social, emotional and mental health support
• Pupils are respectful, tolerant and proud of their school
• Ambitious curriculum from early years to Year 6
• Strong early reading provision with effective catch-up support
• Effective identification and personalised support for pupils with SEND
• Calm, positive atmosphere and high attendance
• Wide range of trips, visits, sporting and enrichment opportunities
• Effective governors and strong staff wellbeing and morale
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of newer subjects, staff lack expertise, so activities do not always deepen learning as intended
• Some errors in pupils’ work go unchecked, leaving gaps in foundational and subject-specific knowledge
• Lesson activities sometimes do not support pupils’ learning as effectively as they could

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 Bartholomew's CofE Primary School attended 96.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.9% 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 St Bartholomew's CofE 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 St Bartholomew's CofE Primary School had 22.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.8% 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, 6.7% of pupils at St Bartholomew's CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.3% 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 St Bartholomew's CofE Primary School received £6,436 and spent £6,449 for each of its 210 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £12,000 (-£59 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 St Bartholomew's CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Bartholomew's CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was St Bartholomew's CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Bartholomew's CofE Primary School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does St Bartholomew's CofE Primary School have?

St Bartholomew's CofE Primary School has 210 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Bartholomew's CofE Primary School cover?

St Bartholomew's CofE Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are St Bartholomew's CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Bartholomew's CofE Primary School?

St Bartholomew's CofE Primary School is at The Fairways, Westhoughton, Bolton, Lancashire, BL5 3NZ.