Red Lane Primary School

Red Lane Primary School is a happy, inclusive school where the 'Red Lane Way' values underpin a supportive culture. Pupils generally behave well, feel safe, and benefit from strong relationships with staff. The school has high expectations for achievement and has built a broad, stimulating curriculum from early years through Year 6, with effective checks on pupils' understanding and swift identification of learning barriers, including for pupils with SEND. Personal development is a particular strength, with an exceptionally wide range of enrichment, responsibilities and experiences that prepare pupils well for life beyond school. Leadership and management are also strong. Leaders have an accurate understanding of priorities and work well with the trust, as shown by the rapid response to Year 4 multiplication outcomes. Phonics is taught skilfully, and pupils who struggle with reading are well supported. Behaviour support has been strengthened, and suspensions have fallen markedly. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is part of Base Academy. The main areas for improvement are persistent absence and oracy. Some pupils miss too much school and therefore miss important learning and wider experiences, so the school should strengthen its approach to tackling persistent absence. The school's work on speaking and listening is not yet well established enough, and some pupils have too few opportunities to practise articulating their ideas clearly and confidently.

Strengths

• Values create a happy, inclusive and respectful school culture
• Most pupils behave well and make a positive contribution to school life
• Pupils have warm relationships with staff and feel safe
• The curriculum is comprehensive, stimulating and connected to the local environment
• Sequenced subject content helps pupils build successfully on prior knowledge
• Staff use effective strategies to check pupils' understanding
• Leaders responded rapidly to weaker Year 4 multiplication outcomes
• Pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well because barriers are identified swiftly
• Phonics is taught skilfully and struggling readers are well supported
• Individual behaviour support has reduced suspensions markedly
• Personal development provision is exceptional and highly varied
• Pupils are impressively well prepared for life beyond school
• Most pupils take part in an extensive range of extra-curricular activities
• Staff value leaders' attention to their well-being, workload and training
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils miss too much school and miss important learning and wider experiences
• The school's approach to tackling persistent absence needs review and strengthening
• Oracy development is not as well established as it could be
• Some pupils lack sufficient opportunities to practise articulating their ideas clearly
• Some pupils find it challenging to express their learning confidently and effectively

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 Red Lane Primary School attended 92.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 25.1% 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, 3.3% of pupils at Red Lane Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 3 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 Red Lane Primary School had 23.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.7% 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, 30.3% of pupils at Red Lane Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.1% 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 Red Lane Primary School received £7,479 and spent £7,188 for each of its 485 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £451,000 (£930 per pupil).

Across all 2 schools of Base Academy Trust, income was £7,282 and spending £7,142 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

Red Lane Primary School is part of Base Academy Trust, which runs 3 schools. The nearest others:

• Masefield Primary School Bolton
• Johnson Fold Community Primary School Bolton

What is Red Lane Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Red Lane Primary School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Red Lane Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Red Lane Primary School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Red Lane Primary School have?

Red Lane Primary School has 475 pupils on roll.

What age range does Red Lane Primary School cover?

Red Lane Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Red Lane Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Red Lane Primary School?

Red Lane Primary School is at Red Lane, Breightmet, Bolton, Lancashire, BL2 5HP.