The Olive School, Bolton

The Olive School, Bolton has successfully maintained its outstanding standards since its previous inspection in July 2019. The school is known for its welcoming atmosphere, where students feel safe, respected, and happy. Pupils perform well academically, particularly in English and mathematics, and engage enthusiastically in a well-structured curriculum enriched with extracurricular activities. The effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) ensures they can access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers, contributing to an overall positive school environment.

Strengths

• Students achieve well across the curriculum.
• Exceptional support for pupils with SEND.
• Strong focus on personal development and community engagement.
• High standards of behaviour and pupil conduct.
• Effective curriculum delivery with clear expectations.
• Robust attendance procedures resulting in consistently high rates.

Areas for Improvement

• Variable understanding of subject-specific vocabulary in a small number of subjects.

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 Olive School, Bolton attended 96.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.5% 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, 0.2% of pupils at The Olive 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 The Olive School, Bolton had 20.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.0% 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, 11.4% of pupils at The Olive School, Bolton were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.8% 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 Olive School, Bolton received £6,994 and spent £6,963 for each of its 425 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £581,000 (£1,366 per pupil).

Across all 36 schools of Star Academies, income was £8,430 and spending £8,333 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 Olive School, Bolton is part of Star Academies, which runs 36 schools. The nearest others:

• Eden Boys' School, Bolton Bolton
• Star Salford Academy Worsley
• Star Radcliffe Academy Radcliffe
• The Olive School, Manchester Manchester
• Oulder Hill Leadership Academy Rochdale
• Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester Manchester
• Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School Rossendale
• Tauheedul Islam Boys' High School Blackburn
• Eden Boys' Leadership Academy, Manchester Manchester
• The Valley Leadership Academy Bacup

What is The Olive School, Bolton's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Olive School, Bolton is Outstanding, from an inspection in April 2025.

When was The Olive School, Bolton last inspected by Ofsted?

The Olive School, Bolton was last inspected in April 2025.

How many pupils does The Olive School, Bolton have?

The Olive School, Bolton has 422 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Olive School, Bolton cover?

The Olive School, Bolton for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are The Olive School, Bolton's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 95% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Olive School, Bolton?

The Olive School, Bolton is at Darley Street, Bolton, BL1 3DX.