Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School, Bolton
Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Bolton. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 19th-highest of the 89 schools in Bolton with published results, and 3,012th of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
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 27 Oct 2026
Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 86% of Year 6 pupils at Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 86% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 78% in Bolton and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 84% in reading and 94% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 32 families put Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School as their first choice and 59 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 2 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School are Highfield Primary School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 80% reading, 88% maths); The Ferns Primary Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 85% reading, 85% maths); St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth (0.5 miles, Good, 79% reading, 77% maths); and Cherry Tree Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 53% reading, 47% maths).
Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Highfield Primary SchoolThe Ferns Primary AcademySt James CofE Primary School, FarnworthCherry Tree Primary School
What parents say
45 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School (as of September 2025): 84% would recommend the school, 93% say their child is happy there and 57% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that pupils behave well (98%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (57%).
Who goes there
32.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (31%), Asian (28%) and Black (23%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Moses Gate Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Beech Avenue (opposite), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School are St James's Church of England High School (0.2 miles), Harper Green School (0.3 miles), Mount St Joseph RC High School a Voluntary Academy (0.5 miles) and King's Leadership Academy Bolton (1 mile).
St James's Church of England High SchoolHarper Green SchoolMount St Joseph RC High School a Voluntary AcademyKing's Leadership Academy Bolton
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from April 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's October 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This is a truly welcoming school where children are happy, proud and cared for. Teachers use excellent subject knowledge to help all children learn well, including those with additional needs. The school goes beyond the classroom to offer wonderful experiences like history visits, pantomime trips and community service, helping children become active and thoughtful citizens.
Key Strengths
- Outstanding behaviour and attitudes across the school, with calm and harmonious classrooms
- Excellent teaching of early reading with a language-rich environment from Nursery onwards
- Strong subject knowledge used by teachers to design activities that help pupils learn well and make links between subjects
- High ambitions for all pupils with effective support for those with SEND
- Rich enrichment experiences that broaden pupils' horizons
Areas for Improvement
- In a small number of subjects, curriculum thinking lacks precision about specific knowledge pupils should learn
- Some pupils don't develop and deepen their knowledge as well as they should in these subjects
- Teachers need clearer guidance about the most important things pupils need to know and remember in these areas
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with staff creating an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
History visits to Chester, Bolton's 'bonga conga', pantomime trips, charity work, litter-picking initiatives, food bank contributions, clubs and activities
Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School is a welcoming and friendly school where pupils flourish and are proud to be part of the learning community. The school has high expectations for all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and those with SEND, and offers an ambitious curriculum.
At a Glance
18.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
45 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 86% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 94% to 86% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 90% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.5
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
30.5
KS2
8
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Our Lady of Lourdes RC 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
- 27
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 11
- Children hurt
- 10
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 27 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 11 serious and 16 slight.
10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise.
8 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 Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School
Will you get a place at Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Our Lady of Lourdes RC 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 Our Lady of Lourdes RC 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
100%
Full
210 pupils
210 places
No 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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
35
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
19.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
236
Total Pupils
121
Boys
115
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
19.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,154
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,853
Per pupil
£1347k
Total funding
£73k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.0%
Overall absence
6.4%
Persistent absence
187
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
Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School
Questions parents ask about Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School
What are SATs results like at Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School?
Of the pupils at Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 86% reached the expected standard in reading and 86% did so in maths.
What is Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Our Lady of Lourdes RC 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 Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School?
Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School?
Classes at Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School average 29.5 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School?
Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School has around 236 pupils on roll. 18% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School?
4% of sessions were missed at Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School in 2024/25. 6.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School?
Apply through Bolton's coordinated admissions process, naming Our Lady of Lourdes RC 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.
How many road collisions happen near Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 27 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 11 serious and 16 slight. 10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise. 8 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 Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School?
Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School is at Beech Avenue, Farnworth, Bolton, Lancashire, BL4 0BP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)