St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth, Bolton
St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Bolton, part of Archbishop Temple Church of England Multi Academy Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 45th-highest of the 89 schools in Bolton with published results, and 6,834th of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 104% of capacity.
- 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 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Bolton (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth in detail
St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth in its own words
In its own words: ""With God, there is no limit to what you can do. There is no obstacle you can't overcome. Through Him all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26) Our St James family has aspirations for every single child to succeed. We believe in the importance of Christian values in all aspects of school life."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 79% of Year 6 pupils at St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth reached the expected standard in reading and 77% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 78% in Bolton and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 61% in reading and 64% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth
For September 2026 entry, 24 families put St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth as their first choice and 56 named it as one of their preferences, for 26 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 James CofE Primary School, Farnworth
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth are Queensbridge Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 61% reading, 61% maths); The Ferns Primary Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 85% reading, 85% maths); Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 86% reading, 86% maths); and St Peter's CofE Primary School (0.6 miles, Outstanding, 72% reading, 67% maths).
St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Queensbridge Primary SchoolThe Ferns Primary AcademyOur Lady of Lourdes RC Primary SchoolSt Peter's CofE Primary School
The trust
St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth is one of 5 schools run by Archbishop Temple Church of England Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
All 5 schools in Archbishop Temple Church of England Multi Academy Trust
Who goes there
40.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 29.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (56%), Black (16%) and Asian (13%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Moses Gate Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Barton Road (cnr), 210 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth 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 James CofE Primary School, Farnworth issued 116 suspensions, 32.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 5 permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth are St James's Church of England High School (0.4 miles), Harper Green School (0.5 miles), Kearsley Academy (1 mile) and Mount St Joseph RC High School a Voluntary Academy (1 mile).
St James's Church of England High SchoolHarper Green SchoolKearsley AcademyMount St Joseph RC High School a Voluntary Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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 May 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's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils enjoy being part of this welcoming school. Children in the early years settle in quickly and get off to a flying start. All pupils, including children in the early years, strive to live up to the school value of respect. Pupils appreciate the importance of treating others in a way that they would like to be treated themselves. This helps pupils to feel happy at school.
A significant number of pupils join the school part way through their primary education. Some pupils are at the early stages of learning to speak English as an additional language. The school holds high ambition for its pupils to achieve well. This includes those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils make the most of the opportunities that the school provides for them. They behave well in lessons, work hard and achieve well.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The published performance data in 2024 shows that by the end of Year 6, pupils' attainment in reading was significantly below the national average. Some of these pupils missed considerable amounts of time in school as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, a number of pupils joined the school midway through key stage 2 and were new to learning English as an additional language. Pupils who attend the school for the majority of their primary education are well prepared for secondary school by the end of Year 6.
The school has considered the important knowledge that pupils should learn across the curriculum, beginning in the two-year-old provision. Typically, teachers use this information well to design learning activities that deepen pupils' knowledge. This is done with a high level of precision in the early years, where children are given the best possible start to their education. Nevertheless, some of the learning activities that a few teachers design do not support pupils to successfully build on what they already know. As a result, some pupils do not deepen their knowledge as well as they could.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its May 2019 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
40.6%
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 improved from 61% to 79% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 64% to 77% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 68% to 73% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.8
Avg class size
16.0
Infant (KS1)
12
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth 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
- 8
- Children hurt
- 6
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, 8 serious and 9 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
4 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 James CofE Primary School, Farnworth
Will you get a place at St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth? Get the admissions report
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What the report includes for St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Bolton, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth 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
104%
Over capacity
328 pupils
315 places
13 pupils over capacity 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(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
59
SEN Support
20
EHC Plans
22.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
357
Total Pupils
188
Boys
169
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
25.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,731
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,226
Per pupil
£2168k
Total funding
£233k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.5%
Overall absence
21.5%
Persistent absence
317
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 James CofE Primary School, Farnworth
Questions parents ask about St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth
What are SATs results like at St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth?
Of the pupils at St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 79% reached the expected standard in reading and 77% did so in maths.
What is St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth's Ofsted rating?
St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth?
No fixed boundary. When St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth 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 James CofE Primary School, Farnworth?
St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth was full in 2025, at 104% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth?
Classes at St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth average 24.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth?
St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth has around 357 pupils on roll. 41% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth?
7.5% of sessions were missed at St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth in 2024/25. 21.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth?
Apply through Bolton's coordinated admissions process, naming St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth 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 James CofE Primary School, Farnworth?
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, 8 serious and 9 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 4 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 James CofE Primary School, Farnworth?
St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth is at Hillside Avenue, Farnworth, Bolton, Lancashire, BL4 9QB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)