Moorgate Primary School, Bolton
Moorgate Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Bolton. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2016. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 53rd-highest of the 89 schools in Bolton with published results, and 7,842nd of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 2.5 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025, at 110% of capacity.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2016)
- Demand
- 2.5 first choices per place
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Bolton (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Moorgate Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 76% of Year 6 pupils at Moorgate Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 76% 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 (75% in reading, 78% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Moorgate Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 64 families put Moorgate Primary School as their first choice and 130 named it as one of their preferences, for 26 places offered. That is 2.5 first choices for every place. 38 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Moorgate Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Moorgate Primary School are Tonge Moor Primary Academy (0.2 miles, Good, 59% reading, 57% maths); Castle Hill Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 83% reading, 87% maths); Bolton Parish Church, Church of England Primary School (0.7 miles); and The Valley Community Primary School (0.9 miles, Outstanding, 92% reading, 90% maths).
Moorgate Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Tonge Moor Primary AcademyCastle Hill Primary SchoolBolton Parish Church, Church of England Primary SchoolThe Valley Community Primary School
Who goes there
In 2026, 56 pupils (17.2%) received SEN support and 35 (10.8%) 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.
Moorgate Primary School has a resourced provision for autism: 16 places, 18 pupils on roll.
Staffing
Moorgate Primary School had 15 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Hall i' th' Wood Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Entwistle Street (opposite), 140 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Moorgate Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Moorgate Primary School issued 2 suspensions, 0.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Moorgate Primary School are Bolton St Catherine's Academy (1 mile) and Canon Slade School (1.1 miles).
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); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; 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 agoThis judgement is from January 2016, 10 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Outstanding.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its January 2016 inspection - up from Good.
Rated Outstanding for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
32.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 76% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 76% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 66% to 70% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.9
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
31.0
KS2
11
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Moorgate Primary School
Before and after school care
Moorgate Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Bolton
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Moorgate Primary School.
- Tonge Moor Out of School ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Moorgate Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Moorgate 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
- 17
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 11 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
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 Moorgate Primary School
Will you get a place at Moorgate Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Moorgate Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Moorgate Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Moorgate 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 Moorgate 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.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
110%
Over capacity
230 pupils
210 places
20 pupils over capacity 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: 2.5 first choices per place
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
56
SEN Support
35
EHC Plans
28.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Moorgate Primary School has a resourced provision for autism: 16 places, 18 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
325
Total Pupils
166
Boys
159
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
15
Teachers
21.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,735
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,330
Per pupil
£1661k
Total funding
£127k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.7%
Overall absence
14.6%
Persistent absence
205
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
Moorgate Primary School
Questions parents ask about Moorgate Primary School
What are SATs results like at Moorgate Primary School?
Of the pupils at Moorgate Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 76% reached the expected standard in reading and 76% did so in maths.
What is Moorgate Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Moorgate Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2016, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Moorgate Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Moorgate 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 Moorgate Primary School?
Moorgate Primary School was full in 2025, at 110% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Moorgate Primary School?
Classes at Moorgate Primary School average 25.9 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 Moorgate Primary School?
Moorgate Primary School has around 325 pupils on roll. 33% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Moorgate Primary School have specialist SEN provision?
Moorgate Primary School has a resourced provision for autism: 16 places, 18 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Moorgate Primary School?
5.7% of sessions were missed at Moorgate Primary School in 2024/25. 14.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Moorgate Primary School?
Apply through Bolton's coordinated admissions process, naming Moorgate 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 Moorgate Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Moorgate Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Tonge Moor Out of School Club (registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Moorgate Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 11 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 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 Moorgate Primary School?
Moorgate Primary School is at Entwistle Street, Bolton, Lancashire, BL2 2RH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)