Pikes Lane Primary School, Bolton

Outstanding
Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 211

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~328m)Possible (~469m)Unlikely (~610m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Miss Nichola Wiggans
Pupils:512 / 518 capacity
LA:Bolton
Phone:01204333633
Address:Gibraltar Street, Bolton, BL3 5HU
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 2 years ago
-

Overall

Requires Improvement

Quality of Education

Good

Behaviour & Attitudes

Good

Personal Development

Requires Improvement

Leadership & Management

Requires Improvement

Early Years

Inspected 7 January 2025View full report
URN:105161
UKPRN:10078451
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Bolton South and Walkden
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Pikes Lane is an outstanding school where children thrive and develop a genuine love of learning. Teachers have exceptionally high expectations, making lessons engaging and fun while helping pupils overcome challenges with confidence. The school celebrates diversity, promotes British values, and ensures all children - including those from different countries - are well supported and make strong progress.

Key Strengths

  • Outstanding teaching that makes learning fun and engaging for all pupils
  • Excellent early years provision that gives children a flying start
  • Strong focus on British values of respect and tolerance throughout the school
  • Very effective use of pupil premium and sports funding to support disadvantaged pupils
  • Innovative use of technology to enhance learning across the curriculum

Areas for Improvement

  • Update school website policies on equality and special educational needs to reflect the actual practice in school and meet statutory requirements

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective with all statutory checks completed, staff trained appropriately, and pupils stating they feel safe with access to trusted adults through the 'Bubble Time' scheme.

Extracurricular Activities

Hallé Orchestra 'Shine' project, wrestling competitions, wide range of extra-curricular sports, art displays in Bolton town centre, international school links with video learning exchanges

Pikes Lane Primary School is an outstanding school where the headteacher and leaders have the highest ambitions for pupils. The quality of teaching and learning is excellent, and pupils make very strong progress from their starting points.

At a Glance

35.3%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

27 responses
Would recommend96%
Child is happy96%
Well taught96%
Good progress89%
Feels safe93%
Well behaved93%
Bullying dealt with26%
Kept informed93%
Handles concerns56%
Wider development89%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading+2ppMaths+6ppWriting+13pp

Reading has remained stable at around 64%. Maths has improved from 63% to 69%. Writing has improved from 57% to 70%.

Class Sizes

28.6

Avg class size

29.5

Infant (KS1)

30.1

KS2

17

Total classes

2 classes with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Social & online

Getting There

Bus Stops

Cannon Street (opp)
160m · 3 min walk
Gilnow Lane (nr)
177m · 3 min walk
Chatham Gardens (opp)
267m · 4 min walk
Mayor Street (nr)
300m · 5 min walk
Salisbury Street (nr)
305m · 5 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

99%

Near capacity

512 pupils

518 capacity

6 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Bolton

Medium pressure
New homes approved:5,330
Projected new pupils:1,333

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Bolton

Admissions Demand - Bolton

Low demand0.85x oversubscription

Places available

4,105

Applications

3,501

Got 1st preference

89.7%

Got preferred school

97.6%

Primary admissions across Bolton (2025/26)

Inspection History(7)

7 January 2025
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
Early YearsRequires Improvement
13 September 2023
15 June 2016
OutstandingReport
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding

House Prices

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

4.16508%

Overall absence

8.58586%

Persistent absence

396

Enrolments

Authorised2.71668%
Unauthorised1.4484%
Persistent (10%+)8.58586%
Severe (50%+)0%

Absence trend

2.8102%
18/19
3.00737%
20/21
4.07301%
21/22
4.54127%
22/23
3.8077%
23/24
4.16508%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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