Church Road Primary School, Bolton
Church Road Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Bolton. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 37th-highest of the 89 schools in Bolton with published results, and 5,775th of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 102% of capacity.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2020)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Bolton (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Church Road Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 84% of Year 6 pupils at Church Road Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 76% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 78% in Bolton and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 85% in reading and 84% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Church Road Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 59 families put Church Road Primary School as their first choice and 114 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. 2 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Church Road Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Church Road Primary School are St Thomas of Canterbury RC School (0.5 miles, Good, 67% reading, 87% maths); Johnson Fold Community Primary School (0.5 miles); Oxford Grove Primary School (0.6 miles, Outstanding, 85% reading, 83% maths); and St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton (0.6 miles, Good, 71% reading, 74% maths).
Church Road Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
St Thomas of Canterbury RC SchoolJohnson Fold Community Primary SchoolOxford Grove Primary SchoolSt Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton
What parents say
30 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Church Road Primary School (as of September 2025): 93% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (77%).
Who goes there
27.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (57%), Asian (23%) and Mixed (11%).
In 2026, 98 pupils (22%) received SEN support and 11 (2.5%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Lostock Rail Station, about 1.9 miles away in a straight line.
14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Captains Clough Road (opposite), 80 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Church Road Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Church Road Primary School are Smithills School (0.6 miles); Thornleigh Salesian College (1 mile); and Eden Boys' School, Bolton (1.1 miles).
Smithills SchoolThornleigh Salesian CollegeEden Boys' School, Bolton
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from January 2020, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Church Road Primary School excels at creating a warm, inclusive environment where all pupils feel safe and respected. Staff prioritise clear explanations and strong subject knowledge, helping most pupils achieve well and feel proud of their learning. The school goes beyond lessons by offering wonderful enrichment activities like choir concerts and visits that create happy memories for pupils.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on early reading and mathematics with most pupils reading fluently by end of Year 2
- Warm, kind staff who create a safe, respectful environment where pupils understand difference and show kindness to each other
- Ambitious, coherently designed curriculum with clear identified knowledge and skills across all subjects
- Excellent support for pupils' personal development through enrichment activities including music, sports, and leadership opportunities
- Effective improvements to pupil attendance through school's diligent efforts
Areas for Improvement
- Some disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as their peers because staff lack expertise to adapt teaching to meet their specific needs
- Not all teachers have sufficient knowledge and skills to make necessary adaptations for pupils with additional needs
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Large choir concerts, inter-school competitions, instrumental music lessons, physical education enrichment activities
Church Road Primary School has maintained the good standards from its previous inspection. The school creates a respectful, nurturing environment where pupils feel safe, behave well, and achieve positive outcomes.
At a Glance
26.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
30 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 84% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 84% to 76% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 68% to 78% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.8
Avg class size
28.2
Infant (KS1)
30.5
KS2
16
Total classes
4 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Church Road Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Church Road Primary School.
- The Family ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Church Road Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Church Road Primary School is in Bolton; for families living there:
Apply to Bolton for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 9 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Bolton is 14 (the median across 148 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Church Road Primary School
Will you get a place at Church Road Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Church Road Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Church Road Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Church Road Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Bolton, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Church Road Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Bolton got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
102%
Over capacity
429 pupils
420 places
9 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Bolton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bolton
Across Bolton council
Places available
4,015
Applications
3,455
Got 1st preference
89.5%
Got preferred school
96.8%
All primary applications across Bolton council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(12)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
98
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
24.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
445
Total Pupils
227
Boys
218
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
20
Teachers
22.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,627
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,294
Per pupil
£2536k
Total funding
£155k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.0%
Overall absence
16.7%
Persistent absence
390
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Church Road Primary School
Questions parents ask about Church Road Primary School
What are SATs results like at Church Road Primary School?
Of the pupils at Church Road Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 84% reached the expected standard in reading and 76% did so in maths.
What is Church Road Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Church Road Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2020, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Church Road Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Church Road Primary School is oversubscribed, Bolton allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Church Road Primary School?
Church Road Primary School was full in 2025, at 102% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Church Road Primary School?
Classes at Church Road Primary School average 27.8 pupils (2025/26). 4 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Church Road Primary School?
Church Road Primary School has around 445 pupils on roll. 26% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Church Road Primary School?
6% of sessions were missed at Church Road Primary School in 2024/25. 16.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Church Road Primary School?
Apply through Bolton's coordinated admissions process, naming Church Road Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Church Road Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: The Family Club (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Church Road Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 9 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Bolton is 14 (the median across 148 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Church Road Primary School?
Church Road Primary School is at Captains Clough Road, Bolton, Lancashire, BL1 5RU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)