St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge

St Paul's CofE Primary School is performing exceptionally well. Inspectors found the school outstanding in every area judged: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. Pupils are happy, relationships with adults are exceptionally strong, behaviour is exemplary and pupils take pride in their school. The curriculum is engaging and well sequenced, reading is central to learning, and pupils with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language are well supported. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, and trust and governance work well to hold the school to account. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2013, having previously been exempt from routine inspection as an outstanding school. It is an academy converter within the Forward As One Church of England Trust and provides education for children aged 2 to 11, including two-year-olds. Since September 2024, schools are no longer awarded an overall effectiveness grade. The main concern identified is attendance: a small proportion of pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should. The school understands the reasons and works closely with parents and carers to improve attendance. No other significant weaknesses were flagged in the report.

Strengths

• Exceptionally strong relationships between adults and pupils
• Pupils' behaviour is exemplary and their attitudes to school are superb
• High expectations for academic achievement across the school
• Engaging and well-sequenced curriculum that meets pupils' needs and interests
• Reading is at the heart of learning, with well-taught phonics and strong support for struggling readers
• Pupils with SEND are skilfully identified and supported to progress well
• Children in the early years get off to a flying start
• Strong personal development, including mental health and well-being support
• A wide range of high-quality enrichment activities and pupil leadership responsibilities
• Effective leadership, trust and governance, with valued staff development and manageable workload
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• A small proportion of pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should

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 Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.1% 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, 0.0% of pupils at St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge 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 Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge had 17.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 33.8% 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, 6.0% of pupils at St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.0% 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 St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge received £7,026 and spent £6,973 for each of its 254 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £216,000 (£853 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of Forward As One Church of England Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,286 and spending £7,417 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.

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

St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge is part of Forward As One Church of England Multi Academy Trust, which runs 17 schools. The nearest others:

• St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School Bolton
• Greenhill Primary School Bury
• Gorsefield Primary School Manchester
• Beacon Primary School Bolton
• St Paul's Church of England Primary School Bury
• Middleton Parish Church School Manchester
• St John With St Michael Church of England Primary School Rochdale
• St John's Church of England Primary School Manchester
• St Thomas' Church of England Primary School Rochdale
• Canon Johnson CofE Primary School Ashton-Under-Lyne

What is St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge is Outstanding, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge last inspected by Ofsted?

St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge have?

St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge has 251 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge cover?

St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 79% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge?

St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge is at Newnham Street, Astley Bridge, Bolton, Lancashire, BL1 8QA.