St Thomas of Canterbury RC School, Bolton
Data last updated 12 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
This is a welcoming school where your child will develop strong reading, writing and mathematics skills in an inspiring environment. Teachers build excellent relationships with pupils and use engaging activities to make learning enjoyable. The school offers exceptional opportunities in sport, art and music alongside strong academic teaching.
Key Strengths
- Teaching is built on strong subject knowledge with engaging learning activities that inspire pupils to value education
- Exceptionally rich and varied curriculum with high-quality sport, art and music provision
- Strong behaviour and attendance - pupils are keen to do well, have excellent relationships with teachers, and feel safe in school
Areas for Improvement
- Not enough outstanding teaching to help pupils make excellent progress
- Marking does not consistently give pupils sufficient guidance on how to improve their work
- Work set is sometimes too easy and does not stretch the most able pupils
- Not all middle leaders have the necessary skills to rigorously check teaching quality and ensure policies are implemented consistently
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is effective - pupils feel safe in school.
Extracurricular Activities
Sport, art, music, weekly spelling tests, times-tables testing, library books to take home
St Thomas of Canterbury RC School is a good primary school where pupils make good progress from average starting points and reach above-average standards in writing and mathematics by Year 6, with even higher standards in reading.
At a Glance
17.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 67%. Maths has improved from 78% to 87%. Writing has improved from 67% to 72%.
Class Sizes
29.6
Avg class size
29.3
Infant (KS1)
29.9
KS2
14
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
98%
Near capacity
410 pupils
420 capacity
10 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(7)
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
4.49112%
Overall absence
10.27027%
Persistent absence
370
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 Thomas of Canterbury RC School
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