St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton, Bolton
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Overall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
St Brendan's is a warm, welcoming school where children genuinely enjoy coming to school and develop into confident, responsible young people. The school excels at building strong relationships between pupils, with older children supporting younger ones through buddy systems and special teams. Teaching is well-planned and helps children develop knowledge and skills across a broad range of subjects, with particular strengths in mathematics and music.
Key Strengths
- Outstanding behaviour and attitudes - pupils are extremely well-mannered and sensible
- Strong sense of community and responsibility - pupils help each other through buddy systems and take on meaningful roles
- Excellent phonics teaching leading to high success rates in Year 1 screening
- Strengths in mathematics and music with pupils developing good knowledge and skills
- Well-planned curriculum that builds on prior learning across subjects including history
Areas for Improvement
- Reading achievement at end of key stage 2 did not meet national standards in 2019
- New reading curriculum focusing on reading stamina and comprehension skills is still at early stage of development and needs to become fully embedded
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with staff properly trained, families receiving needed support, and pupils understanding how to stay safe online and in their community.
Extracurricular Activities
Choir, Spanish, multi-sports clubs, library visits, school council, Gift team, buddy system
St Brendan's RC Primary School is a good school where pupils love learning and behaviour is outstanding. The school provides an exciting, broad curriculum with particular strengths in mathematics and music.
At a Glance
14.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
61 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 63% to 74%. Maths has improved from 60% to 71%. Writing has improved from 63% to 77%.
Class Sizes
29.1
Avg class size
28.0
Infant (KS1)
30.0
KS2
7
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
95%
Near capacity
199 pupils
210 capacity
11 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Bolton
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Bolton
Admissions Demand - Bolton
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(106)
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.
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.
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.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
2.84202%
Overall absence
2.25989%
Persistent absence
177
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton
Nearby Schools
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