Leverhulme Community Primary School, Bolton

Ofsted's report card from its 17 March 2026 inspection grades Leverhulme Community Primary School on 7 areas: 3 expected standard and 4 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Early years - Expected standard. "Children progress well through the curriculum."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders ensure that pupils are included in school life."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders offer a well‑rounded personal development programme."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Across the curriculum, pupils do not recall the key knowledge they need well enough."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Leaders are caught in a cycle of needing to continually address pupils' attendance."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "The quality of teaching is variable."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Recent disruption to senior leadership has affected the rate of school improvement."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that they engage parents and carers more effectively to improve the attendance of pupils who are persistently absent"; "Leaders should ensure that the arrangements to help pupils catch up on any missed learning arising out of their absence are effective"; "Leaders should ensure that teachers adapt the curriculum consistently well so that tasks better match pupils' next learning, particularly for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities"; "Leaders should ensure that there are higher expectations for pupils' written work, especially in key stage 1, so that common errors in pupils' writing are addressed more systematically".

In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils at Leverhulme Community Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 57% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 78% in Bolton and 77% and 75% across England.

Results were similar in 2024 (53% in reading, 60% in maths).

For September 2026 entry, 46 families put Leverhulme Community Primary School as their first choice and 75 named it as one of their preferences, for 58 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Leverhulme Community Primary School are SS Osmund and Andrew's R.C. Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 65% reading, 77% maths); Red Lane Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 80% reading, 75% maths); Blackshaw Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 72% reading, 79% maths); and St Stephen and All Martyrs' CofE School, Lever Bridge (0.8 miles, Good, 81% reading, 74% maths).

Each of them had higher 2025 results than Leverhulme Community Primary School.

25 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Leverhulme Community Primary School (as of April 2026): 80% would recommend the school, 88% say their child is happy there and 67% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (88%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (67%).

53.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 143 pupils (32.6%) received SEN support and 14 (3.2%) 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.

The nearest railway station is Bolton Rail Station, about 1.5 miles away in a straight line.

17 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Long Lane (adjacent), 170 metres away.

In 2024/25, Leverhulme Community Primary School issued 22 suspensions, 4.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The secondary schools closest to Leverhulme Community Primary School are Bolton St Catherine's Academy (0.9 miles) and Little Lever School (1.2 miles).