Lake House School, Bolton
Lake House School is a special school for pupils aged 5 to 16 in Bolton.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Lake House School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Lake House School are Birtenshaw College (0.7 miles, Requires improvement); EdStart Schools Bolton (1.1 miles); Breightmet School (1.4 miles, Requires improvement); and Ladywood School (1.4 miles, Outstanding).
Birtenshaw CollegeEdStart Schools BoltonBreightmet SchoolLadywood School
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Moses Gate Rail Station, about 800 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Lake House School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Sources: NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 months agoOverall
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's July 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Lake House School demonstrates exceptional attention to detail in preparing for its pupils' needs. The school has invested significantly in specialist facilities and high-quality teaching resources, and the curriculum is thoughtfully designed to support both academic learning and emotional wellbeing. Leaders have put pupils' welfare at the heart of every decision, with behaviour and safeguarding policies specifically tailored to support young people with autism and social-emotional needs.
Key Strengths
- Highly personalised curriculum adapted to each pupil's age, needs and ability
- Strong investment in high-quality resources including specialist spaces like therapy rooms, multisensory room and virtual reality room
- Well-designed behaviour and safeguarding policies tailored specifically to pupils with autism and emotional needs
- Experienced leadership team with clear vision and systematic quality assurance
- Comprehensive staff training and recruitment with all necessary employment checks completed
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective - the school has a policy matching recent statutory guidance with clear guidance for staff and secure oversight arrangements to hold leaders accountable for maintaining safe practices.
Extracurricular Activities
Virtual reality visits to places of cultural significance, careers guidance with external adviser
Lake House School is a newly proposed independent school designed to serve pupils with autism and social, emotional and mental health needs, with a curriculum tailored to individual learning profiles from entry level to GCSE.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Lake House School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 5 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
3 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
Capacity & Demand
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.
Inspection History
Special educational needs provision
Lake House School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: Get Information about Schools (GIAS), Department for Education.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Lake House School
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Lake House School
Does Lake House School have specialist SEN provision?
Lake House School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Lake House School?
Lake House School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Lake House School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 5 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 3 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 Lake House School?
Lake House School is at Waterside Business Park, Smiths Road, Bolton, BL3 2QJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)