Ladybridge Community Primary School, Bolton
Ladybridge Community Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Bolton. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2026, ended in a report card: 1 strong standard and 6 expected standard. Before that it was rated Good at its last graded inspection, in February 2022. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 37th-highest of the 89 schools in Bolton with published results, and 5,775th of 14,452 across England. It was 89% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted report card
- 1 of 7 areas strong or better
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Bolton (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Ladybridge Community Primary School in detail
What Ofsted's report card says
Ofsted's report card from its 31 March 2026 inspection grades Ladybridge Community Primary School on 7 areas: 1 strong standard and 6 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.
Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "The school's personal development programme is extensive."
Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), typically achieve well."
Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders have high expectations of attendance."
Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Pupils learn an engaging and broad curriculum."
Early years - Expected standard. "Children get off to a positive start to their schooling in the Reception class."
Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders and staff know pupils well."
Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have a clear, ambitious vision for the school and its pupils."
Safeguarding standards were met.
Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should strengthen the precision of support for pupils who face barriers to their learning so that strategies are closely aligned to individual needs and targets"; "Leaders should ensure that recent improvements in attendance, including reductions in persistent absence, are sustained so that attendance remains high over time".
Read the full report card on Ofsted's site (school website)
Source: Ofsted report card (Open Government Licence), quoted
Ladybridge Community Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "I would like to welcome you to Ladybridge Community Primary School, an Ofsted rated Good school in Bolton. I am so proud to be Head of this caring community of learners with happy, engaged children, a fantastic staff team, supportive parents and dedicated Governors."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care, from £6.00 per session.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils at Ladybridge Community Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 80% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 78% in Bolton and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 85% in reading and 85% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Ladybridge Community Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 37 families put Ladybridge Community Primary School as their first choice and 75 named it as one of their preferences, for 46 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Ladybridge Community Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Ladybridge Community Primary School are St Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton (0.2 miles, Good, 84% reading, 78% maths); Beaumont Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 87% reading, 94% maths); St Mary's CofE Primary School, Deane (0.4 miles, Outstanding, 76% reading, 85% maths); and Haslam Park Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 80% reading, 78% maths).
Ladybridge Community Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
St Bernard's RC Primary School, BoltonBeaumont Primary SchoolSt Mary's CofE Primary School, DeaneHaslam Park Primary School
What parents say
49 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Ladybridge Community Primary School (as of April 2026): 98% would recommend the school, 96% say their child is happy there and 80% 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) (80%).
Who goes there
34.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (66%), White British (12%) and Mixed (10%).
In 2026, 17 pupils (4.7%) received SEN support and 18 (5%) 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 Lostock Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Birkenhills Drive (near), 110 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Ladybridge Community Primary School issued 2 suspensions, 0.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 7 months agoReport card - no single overall grade (Ofsted's framework since November 2025)
Safeguarding standards met
- Personal development and wellbeingStrong standard
- AchievementExpected standard
- Attendance and behaviourExpected standard
- Curriculum and teachingExpected standard
- Early yearsExpected standard
- InclusionExpected standard
- Leadership and governanceExpected standard
Safeguarding standards: met
Ofsted's report card, in its own words
What it's like to be a pupil at Ladybridge Community Primary School
Pupils are immensely proud to be members of this inclusive school community. They are keen to learn and take great care with their work. Pupils consistently maintain focus in lessons. They behave extremely well throughout the school day and contribute to the school's calm, purposeful ethos. Pupils develop trusting, respectful relationships with their friends and with staff. Bullying is rare and is dealt with swiftly by leaders. Pupils understand and independently live out the school's values. They cherish the opportunities they have to support each other. For example, through their roles as ‘wellbeing champions', pupils help others to ‘blow their worries away'. Pupils feel safe at school. They know that staff will listen to them and take their concerns seriously. Leaders have high expectations of pupils' achievement, including pupils who find learning difficult. Staff adapt teaching in lessons to reduce the barriers to learning faced by some pupils. Pupils, including those who join the school at later points, progress well in their learning. They develop a broad knowledge base and are typically well prepared for secondary school at the end of key stage 2. Leaders recognise the impact that missing school has on pupils' achievement, both academically and personally. They have taken effective action to improve attendance and reduce persistent absence, which is now broadly in line with the national average. Pupils benefit from taking part in an extensive range of extra-curricular activities that develop their interests and talents. This includes nutrition club, debating club and crochet. Pupils also participate in external sporting events such as curling, archery, cricket and football. These opportunities enable pupils to access experiences and learn skills that they may not otherwise encounter. Leaders ensure that all pupils are able to take part in these activities. Participation in clubs is high, including for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils are clear that ‘everybody gets their time to shine in this school'.
What Ofsted says the school should do next
- Leaders should strengthen the precision of support for pupils who face barriers to their learning so that strategies are closely aligned to individual needs and targets.
- Leaders should ensure that recent improvements in attendance, including reductions in persistent absence, are sustained so that attendance remains high over time.
From Ofsted's report card (inspection 31 March 2026). Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Ladybridge is an exceptionally inclusive school where your child will thrive. Pupils develop mature understanding of important values like respect and equality, while also making good progress in reading, writing and maths. The school provides wonderful enrichment experiences and meaningful leadership opportunities that inspire pupils and prepare them well for life beyond primary school.
Key Strengths
- Exemplary pupil behaviour and a calm, purposeful school environment with strong relationships between pupils and staff
- Extensive personal development programme with community leadership roles and enriching experiences like visits to museums and the determination festival
- Effective support for disadvantaged pupils, with particularly strong achievement at the end of key stage 2 compared to national figures
- Well-structured curriculum with careful planning of knowledge sequence and effective teaching quality
- Strong safeguarding culture where pupils feel safe and concerns are actively identified and managed
Areas for Improvement
- SEND targets and support strategies are too broad and lack clarity about precisely what pupils should achieve and how strategies will be implemented
- Attendance rates have improved but leaders recognise improvement needs to be sustained to secure consistently high attendance
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
Community leadership roles as 'community influencers' and 'wellbeing champions', sporting events, food bank support, care home visits, determination festival, museum visits
Ladybridge Community Primary School is a strong school where pupils achieve well and behave exemplarily. The school has created an inclusive, purposeful environment where all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, are well supported and make good progress.
At a Glance
18.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
49 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at April 2026 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 85% to 80% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 85% to 80% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 71% to 75% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.6
Avg class size
23.8
Infant (KS1)
29.4
KS2
14
Total classes
4 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Ladybridge Community Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Ladybridge Community Primary School.
- The After School Club340m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Ladybridge Community Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Ladybridge 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
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 2
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, 0 serious and 4 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt.
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 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 Ladybridge Community Primary School
Will you get a place at Ladybridge Community Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Ladybridge Community Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Ladybridge Community Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Ladybridge 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 Ladybridge 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
89%
Available places
373 pupils
420 places
47 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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
17
SEN Support
18
EHC Plans
9.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
359
Total Pupils
169
Boys
190
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
19
Teachers
18.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,904
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,397
Per pupil
£2136k
Total funding
£102k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.1%
Overall absence
15.7%
Persistent absence
343
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
Ladybridge Community Primary School
Questions parents ask about Ladybridge Community Primary School
What are SATs results like at Ladybridge Community Primary School?
Of the pupils at Ladybridge Community Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 80% reached the expected standard in reading and 80% did so in maths.
What is Ladybridge Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Ladybridge Community Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2026, produced a report card, which grades each area but gives no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2022, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Ladybridge Community Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Ladybridge 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 Ladybridge Community Primary School?
Ladybridge Community Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 89% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Ladybridge Community Primary School?
Classes at Ladybridge Community Primary School average 25.6 pupils (2025/26). 4 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Ladybridge Community Primary School?
Ladybridge Community Primary School has around 359 pupils on roll. 18% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Ladybridge Community Primary School?
6.1% of sessions were missed at Ladybridge Community Primary School in 2024/25. 15.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Ladybridge Community Primary School?
Apply through Bolton's coordinated admissions process, naming Ladybridge 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 Ladybridge Community Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Ladybridge Community Primary School: The After School Club (340m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Ladybridge Community Primary 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, 0 serious and 4 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt. 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 Bolton is 14 (the median across 148 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Ladybridge Community Primary School?
Ladybridge Community Primary School is at Broadford Road, Deane, Bolton, Lancashire, BL3 4NB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)