Smithills School

Smithills School is a warm, welcoming and inclusive secondary school where pupils feel safe, behaviour has improved, and attendance is broadly in line with national averages. Safeguarding standards are met, and inclusion is a clear strength: pupils with SEND and other barriers are well supported through adapted teaching, reading support and access to enrichment. Leaders have strengthened behaviour systems and reduced suspensions and exclusions, and pupils generally show positive attitudes and respect. However, pupils do not achieve well enough overall. Achievement is a concern, especially at key stage 4, and recent improvements have not been sustained across most subjects. Teaching is inconsistent: teachers do not routinely check and correct misconceptions, and gaps in handwriting and mathematics remain. The curriculum has been made more ambitious, but delivery is not consistently effective. Leadership and governance also need attention: some improvements have been too slow, the impact of professional development is not routinely monitored, and governors do not consistently challenge leaders on impact. Personal development is not delivered well enough, with pupils often unable to recall what they have learned and leaders not checking its impact. The school recently joined Bolton Impact Trust, which is providing additional support and challenge, but it is too early to see the full impact. Leaders know what needs to improve and have begun to act, but evaluation systems need to be sharper so improvement is more precise and consistent.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met and pupils feel safe.
• Leaders have created a warm, welcoming environment and a strong sense of community.
• Attendance is broadly in line with national averages and continues to improve.
• Behaviour systems have been strengthened, with clear expectations and a marked reduction in suspensions and exclusions.
• Classrooms are generally calm and purposeful, and pupils typically show positive attitudes to learning.
• Pupils show respect to peers, and bullying and discrimination are not tolerated.
• Inclusion is effective: additional needs are identified and met through training, adaptation and targeted support.
• Pupils who struggle with reading and those new to English receive effective personalised support.
• Additional funding is used well to remove barriers to learning, wellbeing, trips and enrichment.
• The careers programme is suitable, recently strengthened and includes individual advice and work experience.
• A wide range of enrichment and leadership opportunities is open to all pupils, with financial support where needed.
• Pastoral support is appreciated, and pupils know who to speak to if they have worries.
• Staff are happy to work at the school and value leaders' consideration of their wellbeing and workload.
• The trust provides additional support and challenge that has contributed to some improvement.
• Governors are active, committed and understand leaders' priorities.
• Leaders prioritise disadvantaged pupils and provide sufficient support for pupils with SEND.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils do not achieve well enough, including in national examinations at the end of key stage 4.
• Recent improvements, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with lower starting points, are not sustained over time in most subjects.
• Teaching quality is inconsistent across the curriculum.
• Teachers do not routinely check for and correct misconceptions, hindering how securely pupils build knowledge.
• Support for pupils with gaps in handwriting or number knowledge is at an earlier stage, so gaps persist.
• Leaders' improvements have had inconsistent impact, and some improvements have been too slow.
• Leaders have not accurately identified the need to strengthen the delivery of the personal development programme.
• The effectiveness of the professional learning programme is not routinely monitored, so teaching inconsistencies are not always tackled.
• Governors do not routinely check the information they receive and therefore do not routinely challenge leaders on impact.
• The personal development programme is not typically delivered well, and pupils cannot generally recall what they have learned.
• Leaders do not routinely check how well personal development is taught or how effectively pupils' knowledge deepens.
• Teachers do not always use assessment information effectively to identify and address gaps, errors and misconceptions.
• Teachers do not consistently have the expertise to check for and address gaps in foundational handwriting and mathematics.
• It is too early to see the impact of many of the trust's actions.

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 Smithills School attended 90.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 28.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 12.2% of pupils at Smithills School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 8 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 Smithills School had 16.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 12.2% of pupils at Smithills School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Smithills School received £8,519 and spent £13,267 for each of its 1,201 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £2,639,000 (£2,197 per pupil).

Across all 2 schools of The Bolton Impact Trust, income was £10,359 and spending £14,756 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

Smithills School is part of The Bolton Impact Trust, which runs 3 schools. The nearest others:

• Egerton Community Primary School Bolton
• Lever Park School Bolton

What is Smithills School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Smithills School last inspected by Ofsted?

Smithills School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Smithills School have?

Smithills School has 1,203 pupils on roll.

What age range does Smithills School cover?

Smithills School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Smithills School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.4, and 35% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Smithills School?

Smithills School is at Smithills Dean Road, Smithills School, Bolton, Lancashire, BL1 6JS.