St Ethelbert's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

St Ethelbert’s is a welcoming Roman Catholic primary academy where pupils feel happy, safe and well supported. Inspectors found the school meeting expected standards across most areas, with personal development and wellbeing a notable strength. Safeguarding standards are met, behaviour is calm and polite, inclusion is central to the school’s work, and disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND are well supported. Reading is a particular strength, with outcomes above national averages, and early years provision, leadership and governance are secure. Achievement is broadly in line with expectations, but writing is the main area for improvement. Writing outcomes are below national averages and the disadvantaged writing gap is notable. Some staff also miss opportunities to reinforce basic skills, including transcription, pen grip and letter formation. Leaders have already strengthened writing and should ensure pupils secure accuracy and fluency in basic knowledge and skills. The school is part of St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust, and this was a full section 5 inspection in September 2026.

Strengths

• Strong personal development and wellbeing provision, including mental health support and rich enrichment.
• Pupils are polite, well-mannered and behave well; bullying is rare.
• Inclusion is central, with effective support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• Phonics and reading are taught particularly well, and reading outcomes are above national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve well in reading and benefit from targeted support.
• Early years curriculum, transition arrangements and pastoral support are well planned and effective.
• Leadership, governance and trust oversight are strong and well informed.
• Safeguarding standards are met and pupils feel safe.
• Attendance systems are robust and disadvantaged pupils attend particularly well.
• A broad range of leadership opportunities and educational visits bring learning to life.

Areas for Improvement

• Writing outcomes are below national averages and disadvantaged pupils’ writing gap is significant.
• Some staff miss opportunities to extend or consolidate pupils’ basic knowledge and skills, particularly transcription, pen grip and letter formation.
• Leaders should ensure pupils secure accuracy and fluency in basic skills, especially writing, ready for future learning.
• Published outcomes are affected by significant pupil mobility.

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 Ethelbert's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy attended 93.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 21.1% 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, 2.3% of pupils at St Ethelbert's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy 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 Ethelbert's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy had 18.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.9% 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, 8.7% of pupils at St Ethelbert's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.4% 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 Ethelbert's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy received £6,957 and spent £6,110 for each of its 217 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £185,000 (-£851 per pupil).

Across all 22 schools of St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust, income was £6,697 and spending £6,817 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

St Ethelbert's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is part of St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust, which runs 27 schools. The nearest others:

• St Peter and St Paul RC Primary School a Voluntary Academy Bolton
• Mount St Joseph RC High School a Voluntary Academy Bolton
• St Gregory's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Bolton
• St Teresa's RC Primary School a Voluntary Academy Bolton
• St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Manchester
• Guardian Angels Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Bury
• St Gabriel's RC High School, a Voluntary Academy Bury
• Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Bury
• St Bernadette's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Manchester
• St. Marie's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Bury

What is St Ethelbert's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Ethelbert's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was St Ethelbert's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

St Ethelbert's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does St Ethelbert's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy have?

St Ethelbert's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy has 207 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Ethelbert's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy cover?

St Ethelbert's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Ethelbert's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is St Ethelbert's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?

St Ethelbert's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is at Melbourne Road, Deane, Bolton, Lancashire, BL3 5RL.