Leverhulme Community Primary School

Leverhulme Community Primary School is a large primary school with a high proportion of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs support. The school has experienced significant leadership change, with most senior leaders and governors new to post. Safeguarding standards are met. While the school has clear strengths in its early years provision, inclusion and personal development, several important areas require improvement before it reaches the expected standard overall. Early years is a notable strength. Staff interact skilfully with children, the phonics curriculum is well established, and there is a sharp focus on vocabulary and language. Inclusion is also effective: leaders identify needs well, work closely with parents and agencies, and disadvantaged pupils generally achieve as well as other disadvantaged pupils nationally by the end of key stage 2. Pupils benefit from a well-rounded personal development programme, feel safe, and behave well. Behaviour expectations are clear, and pupils trust staff. However, achievement is a concern. Pupils do not recall key knowledge well enough across the curriculum, and results in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2 are typically below average. Some pupils, including those with SEND, are not well prepared for their next steps. Attendance is low, with high rates of persistent absence, and leaders have not engaged parents effectively enough to improve it. Teaching quality is variable, and tasks do not always match pupils' needs, particularly for those with SEND. Recent disruption to senior leadership has slowed improvement, and although leaders understand the school's context and are beginning to address weaknesses, it is too early to see the full impact.

Strengths

• Early years provision is strong, with skilled staff interactions and a sharp focus on developing children's vocabulary and language.
• The phonics curriculum is prioritised and taught consistently well, helping children become ready for reading.
• Inclusion is effective; leaders identify pupils' needs well and engage closely with parents and other agencies.
• Disadvantaged pupils generally achieve as well as other disadvantaged pupils nationally by the end of key stage 2.
• Personal development is well rounded, with pupils developing a strong understanding of diversity, British values and personal safety.
• Pupils behave well, and staff use imaginative approaches to support pupils with SEND to manage their behaviour.
• Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils feel safe and trust staff.
• Governors provide effective support and challenge, and staff feel well supported by leaders.
• The curriculum is well designed, with a clear focus on vocabulary and language development.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils do not recall key knowledge well enough across the curriculum, leading to lower-than-average results in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2.
• Some pupils, including those with SEND, are not well prepared for their next steps in learning.
• Teaching quality is variable, with basic errors in writing and mathematics not consistently addressed.
• Tasks are sometimes 'one size fits all' and do not match the next steps for pupils with SEND.
• Attendance is low, with high rates of persistent absence, and leaders' actions have not led to sustained improvements.
• Leaders do not engage parents and carers as effectively as they could to improve attendance.
• Arrangements to help pupils catch up on missed learning are not effective enough.
• Recent disruption to senior leadership has slowed school improvement, and weaknesses are only just starting to be addressed.
• Expectations for pupils' written work are not consistently high, especially in key stage 1.

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 Leverhulme Community Primary School attended 92.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.2% 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, 1.6% of pupils at Leverhulme Community 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 Leverhulme Community Primary School had 19.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.3% 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, 32.6% of pupils at Leverhulme Community 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 Leverhulme Community Primary School received £8,096 and spent £7,796 for each of its 418 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £206,000 (£493 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

All schools in Bolton · Bolton local authority: places and applications

What is Leverhulme Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Leverhulme Community Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Leverhulme Community Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Leverhulme Community Primary School have?

Leverhulme Community Primary School has 438 pupils on roll.

What age range does Leverhulme Community Primary School cover?

Leverhulme Community Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 45% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Leverhulme Community Primary School?

Leverhulme Community Primary School is at Breightmet Drive, Breightmet, Bolton, Lancashire, BL2 6EE.