Gaskell Community Primary School, Bolton
Gaskell Community Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Bolton. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2022. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 13th-highest of the 89 schools in Bolton with published results, and 1,876th of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2022)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Bolton (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Gaskell Community Primary School in detail
Gaskell Community Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "Our School aims to develop each of our children to become successful citizens in today and tomorrow’s world."
From the headteacher's welcome: "I am immensely proud to be Head Teacher at this wonderful, popular school situated in the centre of Bolton. This school is a larger than average school, with children coming from rich, diverse backgrounds, where we celebrate everyone’s uniqueness and the gifts and talents they have."
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 89% of Year 6 pupils at Gaskell Community Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 89% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 78% in Bolton and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 82% in reading and 88% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Gaskell Community Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 56 families put Gaskell Community Primary School as their first choice and 90 named it as one of their preferences, for 58 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Gaskell Community Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Gaskell Community Primary School are St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton (0.3 miles, Good, 64% reading, 69% maths); The Olive School, Bolton (0.4 miles, Outstanding, 98% reading, 98% maths); Brownlow Fold Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 67% reading, 63% maths); and Oxford Grove Primary School (0.5 miles, Outstanding, 85% reading, 83% maths).
Gaskell Community Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
St Matthew's CofE Primary School, BoltonThe Olive School, BoltonBrownlow Fold Primary SchoolOxford Grove Primary School
What parents say
48 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Gaskell Community Primary School (as of September 2025): 92% would recommend the school, 98% say their child is happy there and 63% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (63%).
Who goes there
68.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (48%), Black (20%) and White British (13%).
In 2026, 75 pupils (15.9%) received SEN support and 8 (1.7%) 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 Bolton Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Merehall Close (near), 170 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Gaskell Community Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Gaskell Community Primary School issued 3 suspensions, 0.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Gaskell Community Primary School are Eden Boys' School, Bolton (0.6 miles); and University Collegiate School (0.8 miles).
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); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; 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 agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Gaskell is a caring school where children thrive socially and emotionally, with high behavioural standards and a genuine love of learning. Teachers know their subjects well and deliver a thoughtful curriculum that builds pupils' knowledge securely. The school works hard to support all pupils, particularly those with additional needs, and has achieved impressive improvements in attendance.
Key Strengths
- Warm, caring school culture with excellent behaviour and strong pupil wellbeing
- Well-structured curriculum with clear knowledge progressions that teachers deliver effectively
- Strong reading programme with well-trained phonics delivery and pupils developing a genuine love of reading
- Effective support for pupils with SEND, enabling them to access the curriculum successfully
- High pupil attendance and significantly reduced persistent absence rates
Areas for Improvement
- In some subjects, teachers do not check pupils' learning well enough to identify and address gaps in knowledge
- Some pupils struggle with reading and do not receive consistent enough support to catch up quickly with phonics
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
After-school clubs (crafts, tag rugby, chess), trips, residential visits, breakfast and after-school club, play leader roles
Gaskell Community Primary School is an extremely warm and caring school where pupils support each other and behave well, creating a calm and purposeful atmosphere for learning. The school has made significant improvements since its last inspection, with a revised curriculum and strong teaching across most subjects.
At a Glance
32.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
48 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 improved from 82% to 89% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 89% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 75% to 80% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.0
Avg class size
29.3
Infant (KS1)
29.9
KS2
16
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Gaskell Community Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Gaskell Community Primary School.
- Premier Education WAC - Gaskell Community Primary SchoolAt the school · Not yet graded
- Learning Cubs - Bolton280m away · Not yet graded
- Kipmcgrath Bolton560m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Gaskell Community Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Gaskell Community 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
- 37
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 12
- Children hurt
- 11
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 37 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 12 serious and 24 slight.
11 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 7 in a vehicle or otherwise.
8 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 Gaskell Community Primary School
Will you get a place at Gaskell Community Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Gaskell Community Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Gaskell Community Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Gaskell Community 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 Gaskell Community 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
99%
Near capacity
418 pupils
420 places
2 spare places 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(11)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
75
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
17.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
472
Total Pupils
225
Boys
247
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
21
Teachers
22.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,735
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,164
Per pupil
£2914k
Total funding
£241k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.9%
Overall absence
10.5%
Persistent absence
381
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
Gaskell Community Primary School
Questions parents ask about Gaskell Community Primary School
What are SATs results like at Gaskell Community Primary School?
Of the pupils at Gaskell Community Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 89% reached the expected standard in reading and 89% did so in maths.
What is Gaskell Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Gaskell Community Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2022, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Gaskell Community Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Gaskell Community 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 Gaskell Community Primary School?
Gaskell Community Primary School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Gaskell Community Primary School?
Classes at Gaskell Community Primary School average 28 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Gaskell Community Primary School?
Gaskell Community Primary School has around 472 pupils on roll. 33% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Gaskell Community Primary School?
3.9% of sessions were missed at Gaskell Community Primary School in 2024/25. 10.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Gaskell Community Primary School?
Apply through Bolton's coordinated admissions process, naming Gaskell Community 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 Gaskell Community Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Premier Education WAC - Gaskell Community Primary School (registered, not yet graded). There are 2 more within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Gaskell Community Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 37 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 12 serious and 24 slight. 11 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 7 in a vehicle or otherwise. 8 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 Gaskell Community Primary School?
Gaskell Community Primary School is at Thomas Holden Street, Bolton, Lancashire, BL1 2QG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)