Cumberland School, Bolton
Cumberland School is a special school for pupils aged 7 to 18 in Bolton. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2025.
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2025)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Cumberland School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Cumberland School are Lever Park School (1.2 miles, Good); Mayfield School (4 miles, Good); Westmorland School (4 miles, Good); and Mayfield House School (4.3 miles, Inadequate).
Lever Park SchoolMayfield SchoolWestmorland SchoolMayfield House School
What parents say
29 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Cumberland School (as of September 2025): 93% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 92% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (97%); the weakest, that they are kept well informed about progress (90%).
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Cumberland School has an education, health and care plan (85 of 85 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Blackrod Rail Station, about 1.6 miles away in a straight line.
1 bus stop is within a five-minute walk; the closest is Rivington & Blackrod High School (by), 320 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 1 crime within a mile of the school, most often criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Lancashire (109).
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Met all the independent school standards.
- Part 1: quality of educationMet
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementMet
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's July 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Cumberland School excels at building pupils' confidence and self-belief - many arrive having struggled in previous settings, but leave with renewed aspiration for college or work. Staff understand each pupil's individual needs and create a calm, supportive environment where positive behaviour is the norm. The school delivers a balanced curriculum leading to GCSEs and vocational qualifications, supported by strong careers guidance and enrichment activities.
Key Strengths
- Pupils feel safe and secure with positive relationships with staff and consistent routines that help them thrive
- Strong focus on reading with effective support for struggling readers and efforts to foster love of reading
- Excellent personal development programme that builds resilience, independence and confidence, helping many pupils re-engage with learning
- Well-designed careers education from key stage 3 that prepares pupils for qualifications and next steps
- Effective support for pupils' social and emotional needs using personalised plans and therapeutic input
Areas for Improvement
- Curriculum in some subjects lacks breadth - particularly music and modern foreign languages at key stages 2 and 3
- Inconsistent identification and support for pupils' learning and cognition needs, which delays progress
- Some subject curriculums lack clear detail about essential knowledge and the order it should be taught
- Limited oversight and checking of whether the curriculum is being delivered consistently and correctly across all subjects
- Teachers sometimes uncertain about what content to teach and when due to unclear curriculum planning
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong systems in place to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports day, colour run, animal take-over day, school council, community volunteer placements
Cumberland School is a specialist independent school for pupils aged 7-18 with complex learning needs and social-emotional difficulties. The school has declined from its previous 'Good' rating and now requires improvement, primarily due to inconsistencies in curriculum delivery and design across some subjects.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
29 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Cumberland School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 3 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
1 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 Lancashire is 12 (the median across 707 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
89%
Available places
85 pupils
96 places
11 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Bolton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bolton
Across Lancashire council
Places available
14,702
Applications
13,782
Got 1st preference
87.1%
Got preferred school
97.2%
All secondary applications across Lancashire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
85
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Cumberland School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
85
Total Pupils
70
Boys
15
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about Cumberland School
What are GCSE results like at Cumberland School?
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for Cumberland School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
What is Cumberland School's Ofsted rating?
Cumberland School was rated Requires Improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2025.
Does Cumberland School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in July 2025, Cumberland School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Cumberland School?
Cumberland School has around 85 pupils on roll.
Does Cumberland School have specialist SEN provision?
Cumberland School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Cumberland School?
Cumberland School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Cumberland School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 3 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 1 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 Lancashire is 12 (the median across 707 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Cumberland School?
Cumberland School is at Rivington Lane, Rivington, Bolton, Lancashire, BL6 7RX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)