Harwood Meadows Primary School, Bolton
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Overall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Harwood Meadows excels at creating a warm, welcoming community where children thrive emotionally and academically. The school has prioritised reading excellence with systematic phonics teaching that produces fluent readers, and offers a rich range of clubs and enrichment activities including music performances, sports, gardening and the Relax Kids programme. Staff provide exceptional pastoral support and understand how to help pupils manage their emotions, making this a nurturing environment where every child feels they belong.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading with effective phonics teaching - pupils become fluent, accurate readers
- Broad and ambitious curriculum that has been strengthened through research and professional partnerships
- Excellent pastoral support and wellbeing provision, including emotional regulation programmes and SEND support
- Well-established enrichment activities and clubs that develop pupils' talents and interests
- Strong school culture where pupils are positive, polite and respectful to one another
Areas for Improvement
- Writing skills remain variable across the school - some pupils lack fluency and need more scaffolded learning steps
- Early years staff interactions during play-based learning do not consistently extend children's language and understanding
- Trustees need to be more precise in evaluating how additional funding supports disadvantaged pupils
- Some teaching approaches in upper key stage 2 do not break learning into small enough steps for all learners
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, concerns are actively identified and managed, and pupils are made safer and feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Music arena performances, choir, multi-sports, gardening club, reading buddies, playground buddies, litter-pickers, school council, Relax Kids programme
Harwood Meadows Primary School is a friendly, nurturing school community where pupils feel safe and develop a strong sense of belonging. The school has secured strong progress in reading and has a comprehensive, ambitious curriculum, though some pupils need better support to develop writing skills.
At a Glance
18.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 70% to 76%. Maths has remained stable at around 79%. Writing has remained stable at around 79%.
Class Sizes
26.9
Avg class size
27.7
Infant (KS1)
28.5
KS2
8
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
95%
Near capacity
224 pupils
236 capacity
12 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Bolton
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Bolton
Admissions Demand - Bolton
Places available
4,105
Applications
3,501
Got 1st preference
89.7%
Got preferred school
97.6%
Primary admissions across Bolton (2025/26)
Inspection History(105)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.29374%
Overall absence
15.30055%
Persistent absence
183
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Harwood Meadows Primary School
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