Thornleigh Salesian College vs Smithills School
Side-by-side comparison of key school data
Smithills School
Bolton
Overview
Phase
Secondary
Secondary
Type
Voluntary aided school
Academy converter
Age Range
11–18
11–16
Gender
Mixed
Mixed
Religious Character
Roman Catholic
Does not apply
Admissions
Non-selective
Non-selective
Local Authority
Bolton
Bolton
Pupils & Capacity
Pupils
1574
1203
Capacity
1650
1250
Occupancy
95%
96%
FSM %
29.4%
41.8%
Nursery
Sixth Form
Boarding
Ofsted
Overall Rating
-
-
Quality of Education
Requires Improvement
Inadequate
Behaviour & Attitudes
Good
Requires Improvement
Personal Development
Good
Inadequate
Leadership & Management
Requires Improvement
Inadequate
Last Inspected
Oct 2024
Mar 2026
Performance (2026)
Progress 8
-
-
Attainment 8
43.0
41.4
GCSE Eng+Maths 5+
37%
34.5%
KS2 Reading
-
-
KS2 Maths
-
-
KS2 Writing
-
-
A-Level Performance (2024/25)
Average Grade
B-
-
Points Per Entry
36.3
-
Best 3 A-Levels
B-
-
AAB+ %
14%
-
Value Added
Average
-
A-Level Students
90
-
Retention
89%
-
University Destinations (2022/23 cohort)
Top-third university
15%
-
Degree course
58%
-
Any L4+ destination
61%
-
Apprenticeships
3%
-
Cohort size
121
-
A-Level Subjects
Subjects offered
15
0
Top subjects
Psychology (90)
Biology (80)
Chemistry (64)
History (64)
Business Studies (56)
Mathematics (54)
Business Studies:Single (52)
Psychology (46)