Highfield Primary School, Bolton

Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~328m)Possible (~469m)Unlikely (~610m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr David Glyn-Jones
Pupils:412 / 420 capacity
LA:Bolton
Phone:01204571749
Address:Marsh Lane, Farnworth, Bolton, BL4 0AP
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 4 months ago

Report card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)

Achievement
Expected Standard
Behaviour
Expected Standard
Personal Development
Strong Standard
Leadership
Expected Standard
Early Years
Expected Standard
Inspected 6 May 2026View full report
URN:105182
UKPRN:10076348
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Bolton South and Walkden
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Highfield Primary School excels at making every pupil feel valued and supported. The school goes well beyond the classroom to help families and remove barriers to learning, which makes a real difference to children's wellbeing and readiness to learn. Teaching in mathematics and early reading is particularly strong, helping pupils achieve above national averages.

Key Strengths

  • Strong personal development and wellbeing programme with pupils learning about complex issues like healthy relationships and mental health
  • Mathematics teaching is particularly effective with pupils attaining above national average in Year 6 tests
  • Excellent behaviour and respect throughout school with bullying being very rare
  • Early years staff are experts in teaching phonics and letter formation, helping children become confident readers and writers quickly
  • Inclusive approach with strong support for pupils with additional needs and those facing challenges in their lives

Areas for Improvement

  • Teaching of writing could be more effective - sometimes the way staff help pupils turn their ideas into accurate writing is not as strong as it could be
  • Some pupils lack opportunities to apply new learning more fully across the curriculum
  • Targets for pupils with special educational needs are not always precise enough to guide staff support effectively
  • Attendance remains below national averages, though it is improving with leaders' support

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and pupils are made safer and feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Mental health leader roles, school council, mini-police roles, clubs and activities, visits to castles and historic mills

Highfield Primary School is a well-led school where pupils achieve above national averages in mathematics and benefit from a rich personal development programme that runs through all aspects of school life. The school has created a caring culture where every pupil is valued and supported to flourish.

At a Glance

25.0%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-3ppMaths+2ppWriting-5pp

Reading has remained stable at around 80%. Maths has remained stable at around 88%. Writing has declined from 78% to 73%.

Class Sizes

27.8

Avg class size

29.7

Infant (KS1)

26.6

KS2

15

Total classes

1 class with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Highfield Hall (opp)
59m · 1 min walk
Marsh Lane (opp)
140m · 2 min walk
Beech Avenue (nr)
168m · 3 min walk
St James' School (nr)
241m · 4 min walk
Briarfield Road (opp)
243m · 4 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

98%

Near capacity

412 pupils

420 capacity

8 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Bolton

Medium pressure
New homes approved:5,330
Projected new pupils:1,333

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Bolton

Admissions Demand - Bolton

Low demand0.85x oversubscription

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(7)

6 May 2026Report card
Achievement
Behaviour
Personal Development
Leadership
Early Years
15 March 2022
2 February 2017
Leadership & ManagementGood

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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.

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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.

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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.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

6.40081%

Overall absence

20.98093%

Persistent absence

367

Enrolments

Authorised4.93295%
Unauthorised1.46786%
Persistent (10%+)20.98093%
Severe (50%+)0.81744%

Absence trend

3.88391%
18/19
3.71106%
20/21
7.36983%
21/22
6.7868%
22/23
6.67405%
23/24
6.40081%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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