St Columba's RC Primary School, Bolton
St Columba's 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 2024. 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 97% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- 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 27 Oct 2026
St Columba's RC Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 79% of Year 6 pupils at St Columba's RC Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 93% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 78% in Bolton and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 86% in reading and 93% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Columba's RC Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 28 families put St Columba's RC Primary School as their first choice and 40 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 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 St Columba's RC Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Columba's RC Primary School are Castle Hill Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 83% reading, 87% maths); Sharples Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 69% reading, 75% maths); St Maxentius CofE Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 82% reading, 70% maths); and St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge (0.8 miles, Outstanding, 82% reading, 85% maths).
St Columba's RC Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Castle Hill Primary SchoolSharples Primary SchoolSt Maxentius CofE Primary SchoolSt Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge
Who goes there
In 2026, 53 pupils (22.6%) received SEN support and 9 (3.8%) 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.
Staffing
St Columba's RC Primary School had 14 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 380 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).
15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Danesbury Road (cnr), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Columba's RC 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, St Columba's RC Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Columba's RC Primary School are Canon Slade School (0.1 miles), Sharples School (0.7 miles), Turton School (1 mile) and Bolton St Catherine's Academy (1.1 miles).
Canon Slade SchoolSharples SchoolTurton SchoolBolton St Catherine's Academy
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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Columba's creates a warm, supportive environment where children thrive academically and personally. Pupils take on meaningful leadership roles like reading ambassadors and school councillors, developing confidence and responsibility. The school excels at early reading through well-trained staff and phonics teaching, with strong recent progress in mathematics across all abilities.
Key Strengths
- Pupils' behaviour is exemplary with very rare disruptions to learning
- Strong phonics teaching with most pupils meeting the Year 1 screening check
- Clear curriculum design with logical steps of knowledge in most subjects
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND, identified early with appropriate help
- Effective personal development including leadership programmes and understanding of British values
Areas for Improvement
- A small number of subject curriculums are still being refined, leaving less clarity on what knowledge to teach
- Checks on learning are less precise in subjects still under development
- School's actions to improve attendance and punctuality are not having the desired effect
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Football, dance, choir club, curriculum trips including geography fieldwork and residential outdoor activities trips, leadership programme
St Columba's RC Primary School is a good school where pupils are keen to help others and conduct themselves impeccably. The school has designed an ambitious, balanced curriculum from Nursery to Year 6, with particularly strong progress in mathematics.
At a Glance
32.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 86% to 79% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 93% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 69% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.4
Avg class size
29.0
Infant (KS1)
30.0
KS2
8
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Columba's RC Primary School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Columba's RC Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Columba's 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
- 17
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 13 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt.
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 St Columba's RC Primary School
Will you get a place at St Columba's RC Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Columba's RC Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Columba's RC Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Columba's 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 St Columba's 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
97%
Near capacity
203 pupils
210 places
7 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(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
53
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
26.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
235
Total Pupils
113
Boys
122
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
16.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,740
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,118
Per pupil
£1435k
Total funding
£91k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.0%
Overall absence
15.5%
Persistent absence
181
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
St Columba's RC Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Columba's RC Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Columba's RC Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Columba's RC Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 79% reached the expected standard in reading and 93% did so in maths.
What is St Columba's RC Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Columba's RC Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in April 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2013 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for St Columba's RC Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Columba's 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 St Columba's RC Primary School?
St Columba's RC Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 97% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St Columba's RC Primary School?
Classes at St Columba's RC Primary School average 29.4 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Columba's RC Primary School?
St Columba's RC Primary School has around 235 pupils on roll. 32% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Columba's RC Primary School?
6% of sessions were missed at St Columba's RC Primary School in 2024/25. 15.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Columba's RC Primary School?
Apply through Bolton's coordinated admissions process, naming St Columba's 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 St Columba's RC 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: none fatal, 4 serious and 13 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt. 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 St Columba's RC Primary School?
St Columba's RC Primary School is at Ripley Street, Tonge Moor, Bolton, Lancashire, BL2 3AR.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)