St Stephen's CofE Primary School, Bolton

Good
Primary
Voluntary aided school
Mixed
Church of England
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~561m)Possible (~802m)Unlikely (~1.0km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Lyndsey Faulkner
Pupils:183 / 210 capacity
LA:Bolton
Phone:01204333642
Address:Bent Spur Road, Kearsley, Bolton, BL4 8PB
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Good

Overall

URN:105240
UKPRN:10068696
Diocese:Diocese of Manchester
Constituency:Bolton South and Walkden
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

St Stephen's gives children an excellent start in Reception and Year 1, with strong progress continuing through Key Stage 1. Reading and writing progress matches national standards well, and the school provides a vibrant, supportive learning environment where teachers and teaching assistants work together effectively. Pupils feel happy and safe, and the school offers a rich curriculum that develops their personal and social awareness.

Key Strengths

  • Children make good progress in Reception and Key Stage 1, getting off to a successful start
  • Strong progress in reading and writing at Key Stage 2 matches national levels well
  • Teachers and teaching assistants work well together as a team
  • Pupils are happy, feel safe, and attendance has improved to above national levels
  • The curriculum successfully develops pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness

Areas for Improvement

  • Pupils are not making good enough progress in mathematics, particularly in Key Stage 2
  • Work given to pupils is not always difficult enough, causing some to lose concentration and misbehave
  • Teachers' marking does not always lead to pupils correcting their mistakes and learning from feedback
  • Limited opportunities for pupils to develop mathematical skills across different subjects
  • Leadership systems do not effectively track progress of different groups of pupils

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with pupils reporting they are happy and feel safe in school.

St Stephen's CofE Primary School requires improvement after previously being rated Outstanding. The school is not making good enough progress in mathematics across Key Stage 2, and teaching quality needs to strengthen to help all pupils achieve well.

At a Glance

27.3%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-17ppMaths-4ppWriting+4pp

Reading has declined from 77% to 60%. Maths has declined from 77% to 73%. Writing has improved from 73% to 77%.

Class Sizes

26.6

Avg class size

24.7

Infant (KS1)

28.0

KS2

7

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Latest from St Stephen's CofE Primary School

From St Stephen's CofE Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.

Social & online

Getting There

Train Stations

Kearsley Rail Station (Entrance)
651m · 11 min walk

Bus Stops

Blair Street (cnr)
120m · 2 min walk
Springfield Road (opp)
156m · 3 min walk
Springfield Gardens (nr)
245m · 4 min walk
Beech Avenue (opp)
494m · 8 min walk
South Avenue (opp)
517m · 8 min walk
Can you get into this school?
Enter your postcode to find out

Commute Calculator

Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply

Sign up free to see your commute to this school

What are my chances?

Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

87%

Available places

183 pupils

210 capacity

27 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(108)

Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good

House Prices

Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost

Sign up free to see house prices near this school

SEN Provision

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

Sign up free to see special needs support at this school

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.

Sign up free to see who goes to this school

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.

Sign up free to see teacher and staff data

School Funding

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

Sign up free to see how this school is funded

Pupil Absence
2024/25

5.2438%

Overall absence

11.83432%

Persistent absence

169

Enrolments

Authorised4.05545%
Unauthorised1.18836%
Persistent (10%+)11.83432%
Severe (50%+)0.59172%

Absence trend

4.14334%
18/19
2.43227%
20/21
4.89594%
21/22
6.2762%
22/23
5.13868%
23/24
5.2438%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

Reviews

No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.

Leave a Review

You need to be signed in to leave a review.

Secondary Schools Nearby

Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to

Nearby Schools

Do you work at this school?

Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.