Sunning Hill Primary School, Bolton
Sunning Hill Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Bolton. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 23rd-highest of the 89 schools in Bolton with published results, and 3,246th of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 102% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2013)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than 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
Sunning Hill Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 84% of Year 6 pupils at Sunning Hill Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 87% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 78% in Bolton and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 69% in reading and 80% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Sunning Hill Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 68 families put Sunning Hill Primary School as their first choice and 155 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 10 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Sunning Hill Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Sunning Hill Primary School are The Olive Tree Primary School Bolton (0.2 miles, Good, 82% reading, 77% maths); Brandwood Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 68% reading, 69% maths); Clarendon Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 80% reading, 80% maths); and St Ethelbert's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.5 miles, 88% reading, 73% maths).
Sunning Hill Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
The Olive Tree Primary School BoltonBrandwood Primary SchoolClarendon Primary SchoolSt Ethelbert's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy
What parents say
53 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Sunning Hill Primary School (as of September 2025): 98% would recommend the school, 98% say their child is happy there and 90% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (100%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (85%).
Who goes there
68.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (84%) and Black (10%).
In 2026, 30 pupils (5.7%) received SEN support and 14 (2.7%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Bolton Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Willows Lane (near), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Sunning Hill Primary School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
Sunning Hill Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Sunning Hill Primary School are Bolton Muslim Girls School (0.1 miles), University Collegiate School (0.5 miles), Essa Academy (0.7 miles) and King's Leadership Academy Bolton (0.8 miles).
Bolton Muslim Girls SchoolUniversity Collegiate SchoolEssa AcademyKing's Leadership Academy Bolton
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; 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
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from November 2013, 12 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 are very happy at this nurturing school. They are very proud of their respective religions and traditions, while understanding and valuing those which are different from their own. Pupils have a strong grasp of fundamental British values and explain well their relevance within and beyond school.
Pupils rise to the school's high expectations of achievement. When learning activities challenge them they show resilience. Children in the early years achieve highly and are exceptionally well prepared for key stage 1.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has developed an ambitious curriculum from the early years to Year 6. In all subjects, the curriculum details what pupils should learn and in which order they should learn it.
Teachers undertake training which helps them to develop strong knowledge of the subjects that they teach. They choose learning activities and resources which motivate pupils and help them to achieve well. Most pupils make very strong progress through the curriculum in most subjects. Children in the early years make exceptional progress, whatever their starting points.
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 Outstanding at its November 2013 inspection - up from Good.
Rated Outstanding for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
18.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
53 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 69% to 84% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 80% to 87% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 75% to 79% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.8
Avg class size
29.8
Infant (KS1)
31.7
KS2
13
Total classes
5 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Sunning Hill Primary School
Before and after school care
Sunning Hill Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Bolton
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Sunning Hill Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Sunning Hill 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
- 33
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 7
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 33 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 7 serious and 25 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
8 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 Sunning Hill Primary School
Will you get a place at Sunning Hill Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Sunning Hill Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Sunning Hill Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Sunning Hill 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 Sunning Hill 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.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
102%
Over capacity
429 pupils
420 places
9 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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
30
SEN Support
14
EHC Plans
8.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
526
Total Pupils
272
Boys
254
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
25
Teachers
21.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,235
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,584
Per pupil
£2662k
Total funding
£150k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.7%
Overall absence
4.8%
Persistent absence
372
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
Questions parents ask about Sunning Hill Primary School
What are SATs results like at Sunning Hill Primary School?
Of the pupils at Sunning Hill Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 84% reached the expected standard in reading and 87% did so in maths.
What is Sunning Hill Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Sunning Hill Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2013, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Sunning Hill Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Sunning Hill 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 Sunning Hill Primary School?
Sunning Hill Primary School was full in 2025, at 102% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Sunning Hill Primary School?
Classes at Sunning Hill Primary School average 29.8 pupils (2025/26). 5 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Sunning Hill Primary School?
Sunning Hill Primary School has around 526 pupils on roll. 18% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Sunning Hill Primary School?
3.7% of sessions were missed at Sunning Hill Primary School in 2024/25. 4.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Sunning Hill Primary School?
Apply through Bolton's coordinated admissions process, naming Sunning Hill 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.
Does Sunning Hill Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Sunning Hill Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Sunning Hill Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 33 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 7 serious and 25 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 8 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 Sunning Hill Primary School?
Sunning Hill Primary School is at Goldsmith Street, Bolton, Lancashire, BL3 6TR.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)