Ss Simon & Jude CofE Primary School, Bolton

Ss Simon & Jude CofE Primary School has shown a good level of overall effectiveness in its recent inspection, a notable shift from its previous outstanding grade. Despite recent challenges, including significant fire damage to its building, the school has maintained a supportive learning environment where pupils exhibit high levels of happiness and positive behaviour. There is a strong focus on education, with students making positive progress, especially in writing and mathematics, influenced by high expectations set by the school. However, the school faces challenges with some subject curriculums lacking coherence, impacting pupils' depth of knowledge, and there are identified weaknesses in the oversight of safeguarding procedures by trustees.

Strengths

• High expectations for pupil achievement, including those with SEND.
• Positive relationships and impressive behaviour among pupils.
• Effective support for pupils struggling with reading.
• Strong personal development initiatives fostering mental and physical health.
• Engagement in extracurricular activities and responsibilities.
• Effective response to recent school building challenges.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subject curriculums are not well designed or implemented.
• Insufficient oversight of curriculum delivery in certain subjects.
• Weaknesses in safeguarding oversight by trustees.

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 Ss Simon & Jude CofE Primary School, Bolton attended 93.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.5% 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 Ss Simon & Jude CofE Primary School, 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 Ss Simon & Jude CofE Primary School, Bolton had 20.2 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, 10.7% of pupils at Ss Simon & Jude CofE Primary School, Bolton 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 2024–25 Ss Simon & Jude CofE Primary School, Bolton received £7,438 and spent £7,320 for each of its 581 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,619,000 (£2,787 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of Vantage Ce Academies Trust, income was £7,696 and spending £7,506 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

Ss Simon & Jude CofE Primary School, Bolton is part of Vantage Ce Academies Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• St Augustine's CofE Primary School Manchester
• Flixton Girls School Manchester
• St Paul's CofE Primary School Salford
• St Hilda's CofE Primary School Manchester
• St Barnabas CofE Primary Academy Manchester
• St James' CofE Primary School Gorton Manchester
• Gorton Primary School Manchester
• Willow Tree Primary School Liverpool
• Knowsley Lane Primary School Liverpool

What is Ss Simon & Jude CofE Primary School, Bolton's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ss Simon & Jude CofE Primary School, Bolton is Good, from an inspection in May 2024.

When was Ss Simon & Jude CofE Primary School, Bolton last inspected by Ofsted?

Ss Simon & Jude CofE Primary School, Bolton was last inspected in May 2024.

How many pupils does Ss Simon & Jude CofE Primary School, Bolton have?

Ss Simon & Jude CofE Primary School, Bolton has 572 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ss Simon & Jude CofE Primary School, Bolton cover?

Ss Simon & Jude CofE Primary School, Bolton for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Ss Simon & Jude CofE Primary School, Bolton's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Ss Simon & Jude CofE Primary School, Bolton?

Ss Simon & Jude CofE Primary School, Bolton is at Newport Road, Great Lever, Bolton, Lancashire, BL3 2DT.