Ladybridge High School, Bolton
Ladybridge High School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Bolton. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2022. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 9th-highest of the 20 schools in Bolton with published results, and 1,678th of 3,298 across England. It was 89% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2022)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Bolton (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Ladybridge High School in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Ladybridge High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.8, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.6 in Bolton and 47 across England.
39% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 48% in Bolton and 47% in England.
That is up from 41.7 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.05: pupils made about average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 38.1, against 50.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 12.1 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 26 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and History.
Getting a place at Ladybridge High School
For September 2026 entry, 211 families put Ladybridge High School as their first choice and 518 named it as one of their preferences, for 230 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 16 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Ladybridge High School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Ladybridge High School are Essa Academy (1.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.9); Bolton Muslim Girls School (1.4 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 56.5); University Collegiate School (1.5 miles, Inadequate, Attainment 8 41.4); and King's Leadership Academy Bolton (1.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49).
Ladybridge High School's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Essa AcademyBolton Muslim Girls SchoolUniversity Collegiate SchoolKing's Leadership Academy Bolton
Where pupils go next
Of the 208 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 89% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 55% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.
Who goes there
37.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 36.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (46%), White British (30%) and other ethnic groups (7%).
In 2026, 151 pupils (13.3%) received SEN support and 30 (2.6%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Lostock Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ladybridge High School (outside), 80 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Ladybridge High School issued 617 suspensions, 54.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 5 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Ladybridge High School are St Mary's CofE Primary School, Deane (0.2 miles); St Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton (0.3 miles); Ladybridge Community Primary School (0.3 miles); and Beaumont Primary School (0.3 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
St Mary's CofE Primary School, DeaneSt Bernard's RC Primary School, BoltonLadybridge Community Primary SchoolBeaumont Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); 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 · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2022 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
About
Ladybridge High School is a mixed secondary school located in the Deane area of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
37.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from -0.20 to -0.05 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 44.3 to 45.8 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 39% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 45.8 | 38.6% |
| Disadvantaged(74) | - | 38.1 | 27% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(128) | - | 50.2 | 45.3% |
| Boys(97) | - | 46.3 | 44.3% |
| Girls(105) | - | 45.3 | 33.3% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(68) | - | 48.3 | 35.3% |
| Non mobile(191) | - | 46.3 | 39.3% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 6 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 208 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
5
Permanent exclusions
0.45%
Exclusion rate
617
Suspensions
54.94%
Suspension rate
146 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,123 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Ladybridge High School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Ladybridge High School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Ladybridge High 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
- 14
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 8 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt.
2 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 High School
Will you get a place at Ladybridge High School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Ladybridge High School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Ladybridge High School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Ladybridge High 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 High 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
89%
Available places
1,114 pupils
1,245 places
131 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
4,385
Applications
3,868
Got 1st preference
87.1%
Got preferred school
96.8%
All secondary applications across Bolton council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
151
SEN Support
30
EHC Plans
15.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,136
Total Pupils
615
Boys
521
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
81
Teachers
14.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,682
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,651
Per pupil
£9241k
Total funding
£441k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.9%
Overall absence
23.5%
Persistent absence
1,164
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Ladybridge High School
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Ladybridge High School
What are GCSE results like at Ladybridge High School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Ladybridge High School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 45.8. 39% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Ladybridge High School's Ofsted rating?
Ladybridge High School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2022.
What is the catchment area for Ladybridge High School?
No fixed boundary. When Ladybridge High 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 High School?
Ladybridge High School was not full in 2025: it ran at 89% of its 1245 places.
How big are the classes at Ladybridge High School?
Classes at Ladybridge High School average 22.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Ladybridge High School?
Ladybridge High School has around 1136 pupils on roll. 38% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Ladybridge High School?
7.9% of sessions were missed at Ladybridge High School in 2024/25. 23.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Ladybridge High School?
Apply through Bolton's coordinated admissions process, naming Ladybridge High School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Ladybridge High School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 8 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt. 2 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 High School?
Ladybridge High School is at New York, Junction Road, Bolton, Lancashire, BL3 4NG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)