Claypool Primary School, Bolton

Ofsted's report card from its 24 February 2026 inspection grades Claypool Primary School on 7 areas: 6 expected standard and 1 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders' work on attendance has a clear and positive impact."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders are clear about the strengths and weaknesses in curriculum and teaching."

Early years - Expected standard. "The curriculum is well designed to help children build their knowledge step by step as they move through the early years."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders identify pupils' individual needs well."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "School leaders and governors understand the school's strengths well."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have designed a clear and well-organised personal development programme."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Pupils' achievement in the phonics screening check has been weak over time."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that staff who support older pupils' reading develop the necessary expertise to help these pupils read with increasing fluency and accuracy"; "Leaders should ensure that teachers adapt their teaching equally well in different subjects so that, where needed, obstacles to learning are removed effectively for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities"; "Leaders should strengthen the consistency of teachers' approaches to assessment to ensure that pupils' errors and misconceptions are identified and addressed in a timely and effective manner"; "Leaders should ensure that teachers provide pupils with high-quality opportunities to extend their writing so that they develop appropriate composition skills and writing stamina".

In 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils at Claypool Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 45% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 78% in Bolton and 77% and 75% across England.

Results fell from 66% in reading and 72% in maths in 2024.

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

For September 2026 entry, 28 families put Claypool Primary School as their first choice and 69 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 3 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state primary schools to Claypool Primary School are St Mary's RC Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 75% reading, 69% maths); Chorley New Road Primary Academy (0.6 miles, 78% reading, 73% maths); Horwich Parish CofE Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 80% reading, 88% maths); and Lostock Primary School (1.4 miles).

Each of them had higher 2025 results than Claypool Primary School.

55 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Claypool Primary School (as of April 2026): 86% would recommend the school, 93% say their child is happy there and 56% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (93%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (56%).

11.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 6.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (83%) and Asian (6%).

In 2026, 17 pupils (7.8%) received SEN support and 18 (8.3%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.

Claypool Primary School has a SEN unit for autism and severe learning difficulties: 8 places, 7 pupils on roll.

The nearest railway station is Horwich Parkway Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.

8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Laburnum Grove (opposite), 130 metres away.

In 2024/25, Claypool Primary School issued 6 suspensions, 2.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.