The Ferns Primary Academy

The Ferns Primary Academy has demonstrated strong performance across various domains, providing a rigorous and ambitious curriculum tailored to meet the needs of its diverse student body. Leaders prioritize the early years and implement a robust approach to support pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged students, resulting in high achievement by Year 6. The school fosters a positive and inclusive learning environment that enhances both academic and personal development, with pupils exhibiting confidence and a strong sense of belonging.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well, with many exceeding expected standards in core subjects.
• Strong support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Rigorous and well-structured curriculum across all years.
• Passionate teaching staff who effectively engage and motivate pupils.
• Positive, inclusive culture fostering pupils' personal development.

Areas for Improvement

• Some adaptations for pupils with SEND do not precisely match individual needs.
• Inconsistent application of behaviour management approaches by staff.

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 The Ferns Primary Academy attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.3% 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 The Ferns Primary Academy 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 The Ferns Primary Academy had 24.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2023–24, 29.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 17.1%).

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, 14.4% of pupils at The Ferns Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.2% 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 2024–25 The Ferns Primary Academy received £6,671 and spent £6,368 for each of its 440 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £464,000 (£1,054 per pupil).

Across all 30 schools of Northern Education Trust, income was £8,462 and spending £8,166 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

The Ferns Primary Academy is part of Northern Education Trust, which runs 30 schools. The nearest others:

• Kearsley Academy Bolton
• Essa Academy Bolton
• Essa Primary Academy Bolton
• Buile Hill Academy Salford
• Chesham Primary Academy Bury
• Hazlehurst Primary Academy Bury
• Denton Community Academy Manchester
• Mount Pellon Primary Academy Halifax
• Abbey Park Academy Halifax
• Merlin Top Primary Academy Keighley

What is The Ferns Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Ferns Primary Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in March 2026.

When was The Ferns Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Ferns Primary Academy was last inspected in March 2026.

How many pupils does The Ferns Primary Academy have?

The Ferns Primary Academy has 445 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Ferns Primary Academy cover?

The Ferns Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are The Ferns Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 76% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Ferns Primary Academy?

The Ferns Primary Academy is at Plodder Lane, Farnworth, Bolton, Lancashire, BL4 0DA.