Red Lane Primary School, Bolton
Red Lane 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 July 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 47th-highest of the 89 schools in Bolton with published results, and 7,071st of 14,452 across England. It was 97% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below 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
Red Lane Primary School in detail
Red Lane Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "Red Lane Primary School is a two form entry primary school located Breightmet, 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 yoga, dance and cooking.
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care, from £6 per morning.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils at Red Lane Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 75% 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 (72% in reading, 81% in maths).
Getting a place at Red Lane Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 46 families put Red Lane Primary School as their first choice and 60 named it as one of their preferences, for 51 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Red Lane Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Red Lane Primary School are Leverhulme Community Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 55% reading, 57% maths); Harwood Meadows Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 76% reading, 79% maths); SS Osmund and Andrew's R.C. Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 65% reading, 77% maths); and Blackshaw Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 72% reading, 79% maths).
Red Lane Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Leverhulme Community Primary SchoolHarwood Meadows Primary SchoolSS Osmund and Andrew's R.C. Primary SchoolBlackshaw Primary School
The trust
Red Lane Primary School is one of 3 schools run by Base Academy Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
30 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Red Lane Primary School (as of September 2025): 63% would recommend the school, 77% say their child is happy there and 79% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (79%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (53%).
Who goes there
58.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 144 pupils (30.3%) received SEN support and 24 (5.1%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Hall i' th' Wood Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
24 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Red Lane Primary School (near), 100 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Red Lane 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, Red Lane Primary School issued 30 suspensions, 6.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.
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
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from July 2019, 7 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 May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Red Lane Primary School stands out for its warm, inclusive environment where every child feels valued and safe. The school goes far beyond academics - it offers exceptional personal development through residential trips, performances, working with published authors, and carefully designed programmes on mental health and community safety. Teachers use highly effective methods to check understanding and help pupils build on previous knowledge, ensuring most make strong progress.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional personal development programmes including residential trips, outdoor pursuits and community engagement - pupils are exceptionally well prepared for life beyond school
- Well-designed curriculum with clear knowledge progression that connects meaningfully to the local environment
- Effective support for reading - pupils catch up quickly when they need extra help and most read with confidence and fluency
- Strong behaviour support systems - individual support for pupils has led to significantly reduced suspensions
- Outstanding leadership that creates a culture of continuous improvement and strong staff wellbeing
Areas for Improvement
- Some pupils miss too much school - persistent absence limits their achievement and access to wider experiences
- Speaking and listening skills are not yet developed strongly enough - some pupils struggle to express their learning confidently and clearly in discussions
- Need to review and strengthen approaches to improving oracy skills across the school
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school creates an open, positive culture where pupils' interests come first.
Extracurricular Activities
Gardening, photography, theatre, sports, art, residential trips to London and outdoor pursuit areas, museum visits, library visits, sporting competitions, musical competitions
Red Lane Primary School is a happy, inclusive primary school where pupils behave well, work hard and make good progress through a carefully designed curriculum. The school is rated Good for quality of education and Early Years provision, and Outstanding for personal development and leadership.
At a Glance
58.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
30 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 improved from 72% to 80% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 81% to 75% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 68% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.7
Avg class size
28.5
Infant (KS1)
25.6
KS2
15
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Red Lane Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Red Lane Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Red Lane 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
- 15
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 15 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 10 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot.
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 Red Lane Primary School
Will you get a place at Red Lane Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Red Lane Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Red Lane Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Red Lane 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 Red Lane 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
97%
Near capacity
408 pupils
420 places
12 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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
144
SEN Support
24
EHC Plans
35.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
475
Total Pupils
238
Boys
237
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
21
Teachers
22.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,272
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,265
Per pupil
£3018k
Total funding
£368k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.4%
Overall absence
25.1%
Persistent absence
363
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
Red Lane Primary School
Questions parents ask about Red Lane Primary School
What are SATs results like at Red Lane Primary School?
Of the pupils at Red Lane Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 80% reached the expected standard in reading and 75% did so in maths.
What is Red Lane Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Red Lane Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Red Lane Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Red Lane 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 Red Lane Primary School?
Red Lane Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 97% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Red Lane Primary School?
Classes at Red Lane Primary School average 26.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Red Lane Primary School?
Red Lane Primary School has around 475 pupils on roll. 59% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Red Lane Primary School?
7.4% of sessions were missed at Red Lane Primary School in 2024/25. 25.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Red Lane Primary School?
Apply through Bolton's coordinated admissions process, naming Red Lane 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 Red Lane Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 15 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 10 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot. 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 Red Lane Primary School?
Red Lane Primary School is at Red Lane, Breightmet, Bolton, Lancashire, BL2 5HP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)