Masefield Primary School, Bolton
Masefield Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Bolton, part of Base Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2012. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 8th-highest of the 89 schools in Bolton with published results, and 1,036th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 2.1 first-choice applications for every place. It was 88% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2012)
- Demand
- 2.1 first choices per place
- 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
Masefield Primary School in detail
Masefield Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "Masefield Primary School is a one form entry primary school located Little Lever, Bolton. We have a strong reputation within the local community and were judged as ‘good’ in our most recent inspection (July 2019). We are one of two schools who form BASE Academy Trust."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include cooking, gardening, art, journalism, book club and forest school.
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 95% of Year 6 pupils at Masefield Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 89% 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 (97% in reading, 89% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Masefield Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 60 families put Masefield Primary School as their first choice and 84 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 places offered. That is 2.1 first choices for every place. 32 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Masefield Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Masefield Primary School are Mytham Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 71% reading, 67% maths); St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Little Lever (0.5 miles, Good, 58% reading, 68% maths); St Teresa's RC Primary School a Voluntary Academy (0.6 miles); and Bowness Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 100% reading, 100% maths).
Masefield Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Mytham Primary SchoolSt Matthew's CofE Primary School, Little LeverSt Teresa's RC Primary School a Voluntary AcademyBowness Primary School
The trust
Masefield Primary School is one of 3 schools run by Base Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
3.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Staffing
Masefield Primary School had 9 teachers in 2026, one for every 26 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Farnworth Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
Suspensions and exclusions
Masefield Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from February 2012, 14 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good and may be improving; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils flourish at this happy and welcoming school. They are extremely well motivated to make the most of the wide range of opportunities on offer to them.
The school is highly ambitious for all pupils' academic achievement. Pupils achieve exceptionally well, despite their differing starting points. This is particularly true for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils are proud of the impressive array of knowledge that they develop over time. They put this knowledge to effective use across the curriculum.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has an exceptionally well-designed and ambitious curriculum. Pupils develop a remarkable range of knowledge that prepares them extremely well for their next stages of education.
The curriculum provides a high degree of clarity for teachers. They know what to focus on and the order in which learning needs to occur to ensure that pupils' knowledge is firmly embedded. This enables teachers to manage their workload effectively. It also helps them to focus on providing the consistently high standard of education that the school expects.
From Ofsted's July 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2012 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
20.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 95% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 89% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 87% to 92% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.2
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
27.8
KS2
9
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Masefield Primary School
Newsletter 1st October
1 Oct 2026
Newsletter 17th September 2026
17 Sep 2026
Newsletter 16th July 2026
16 Jul 2026
MCAS Letter July 2025
Ofsted Official Report
Ofsted Cover Letter
From Masefield Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Masefield Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Masefield Primary School.
- Mytham Road Out Of School Club710m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Masefield Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Masefield 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
- 9
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 6 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
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
Your chances of a place at Masefield Primary School
Will you get a place at Masefield Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Masefield Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Masefield Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Masefield 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 Masefield Primary School for 2017 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
88%
Available places
237 pupils
270 places
33 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: 2.1 first choices per place
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
49
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
22.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
254
Total Pupils
126
Boys
128
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
28.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,402
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,385
Per pupil
£1430k
Total funding
£82k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.8%
Overall absence
8.1%
Persistent absence
209
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
Masefield Primary School
Questions parents ask about Masefield Primary School
What are SATs results like at Masefield Primary School?
Of the pupils at Masefield Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 95% reached the expected standard in reading and 89% did so in maths.
What is Masefield Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Masefield Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2012, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Masefield Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Masefield 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 Masefield Primary School?
Masefield Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 88% of its 270 places.
How big are the classes at Masefield Primary School?
Classes at Masefield Primary School average 28.2 pupils (2025/26). 3 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Masefield Primary School?
Masefield Primary School has around 254 pupils on roll. 20% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Masefield Primary School?
4.8% of sessions were missed at Masefield Primary School in 2024/25. 8.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Masefield Primary School?
Apply through Bolton's coordinated admissions process, naming Masefield 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 Masefield Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Masefield Primary School: Mytham Road Out Of School Club (710m 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 Masefield Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 6 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 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 Masefield Primary School?
Masefield Primary School is at Masefield Road, Little Lever, Bolton, Lancashire, BL3 1NG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)