The Oaks Primary School, Bolton
The Oaks Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Bolton. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 16th-highest of the 89 schools in Bolton with published results, and 2,822nd of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 105% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 75 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Bolton (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 1 Nov 2026
The Oaks Primary School in detail
The Oaks Primary School in its own words
Coming up: an open evening on Tuesday 10 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Bolton
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 85% of Year 6 pupils at The Oaks Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 88% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 78% in Bolton and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 94% in reading and 97% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at The Oaks Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 26 families put The Oaks Primary School as their first choice and 83 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 5 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at The Oaks Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to The Oaks Primary School are Sharples Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 69% reading, 75% maths); High Lawn Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 73% reading, 77% maths); St John the Evangelist RC Primary School, Bromley Cross, Bolton (0.5 miles, Good, 77% reading, 61% maths); and Holy Infant and St Anthony RC Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 68% reading, 61% maths).
The Oaks Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Sharples Primary SchoolHigh Lawn Primary SchoolSt John the Evangelist RC Primary School, Bromley Cross, BoltonHoly Infant and St Anthony RC Primary School
What parents say
17 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Oaks Primary School (as of September 2026): 100% would recommend the school and 100% say their child is happy there.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (100%); the weakest, that their child is happy at the school (100%).
Who goes there
7.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 16 pupils (7.3%) received SEN support and 1 (0.5%) 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 Bromley Cross Rail Station, about 1110 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Crundale Road (opposite), 50 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Oaks Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
The Oaks Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to The Oaks Primary School are Sharples School (0.2 miles), Turton School (0.7 miles), Canon Slade School (0.9 miles) and Thornleigh Salesian College (0.9 miles).
Sharples SchoolTurton SchoolCanon Slade SchoolThornleigh Salesian College
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 · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2023 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The Oaks creates a warm, family-like environment where children thrive academically and personally. Reading is prioritised exceptionally well, with almost all pupils meeting phonics standards and developing into confident readers. The school provides excellent opportunities for pupils to take on responsibilities and participate in a rich range of clubs and activities.
Key Strengths
- Pupils achieve extremely well in reading, writing and mathematics with strong phonics teaching
- School feels like a family with pupils happy, safe and well cared for
- Excellent behaviour and high attendance with pupils highly motivated to learn
- Wide range of extra-curricular opportunities and leadership roles for pupils
- Strong assessment systems in place with effective support for pupils to correct errors
Areas for Improvement
- In a small number of subjects, the school has not clearly set out how content should be delivered, meaning some intended knowledge is not being taught
- Monitoring and evaluation systems are not being used effectively in all subjects to identify and address teaching issues
- Some improvement needs in certain subjects are not identified or acted on in a timely manner
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective with secure systems in place to identify pupils with additional needs early and work well with other agencies.
Extracurricular Activities
Choir, chess club, art club, various sports clubs
The Oaks Primary School is rated Good overall. The school was previously judged Outstanding 13 years ago and maintains strong educational standards, with pupils achieving extremely well in reading, writing and mathematics.
At a Glance
7.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
17 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2026 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 94% to 85% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 97% to 88% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 88% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
31.1
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
32.0
KS2
7
Total classes
4 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with The Oaks Primary School
Nurseries
The nearest nurseries and pre-schools to The Oaks Primary School, with their latest published grades:
- Little Lambs Nursery - Day nursery, 0.2 milesOfsted, 8 June 2022: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
- Eagley School House Nursery - Day nursery, 0.4 milesOfsted, 15 June 2022: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
- St Andrews Playgroup - Pre-school, 0.4 milesOfsted, 25 May 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Highview Kindergarten Ltd - Day nursery, 0.5 milesOfsted, 19 February 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Seymour Road Nursery Ltd - Day nursery, 0.8 milesOfsted, 9 April 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Oaks Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Oaks 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
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 3 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
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 are DfT estimates (severity adjustment). Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at The Oaks Primary School
Will you get a place at The Oaks Primary School?
For 2026 entry it had 26 first choices for 30 places. The report sets your home postcode against these figures.
£9.99 once (inc. VAT; £19.99 for up to three schools), or Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time. What's in the report
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
105%
Over capacity
220 pupils
210 places
10 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
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
Future places in the local planning area
DfE estimates the Astley Bridge Primary planning area (Bolton) will need 24 more primary places than it is due to have in 2027/28.
Source: Department for Education, School capacity: Academic year 2024/25 (published 19 March 2026), estimates of future school place demand by planning area. Council pupil forecasts against reported places, counting places councils and DfE plan to add or remove; rounded to whole places. Explore Education Statistics
Inspection History(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
16
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
7.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
218
Total Pupils
109
Boys
109
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
19.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,147
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,070
Per pupil
£1206k
Total funding
£21k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.5%
Overall absence
4.8%
Persistent absence
189
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
The Oaks Primary School
Questions parents ask about The Oaks Primary School
What are SATs results like at The Oaks Primary School?
Of the pupils at The Oaks Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 85% reached the expected standard in reading and 88% did so in maths.
What is The Oaks Primary School's Ofsted rating?
The Oaks Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in December 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2010 it was rated Outstanding.
Is it hard to get a place at The Oaks Primary School?
The Oaks Primary School was full in 2025, at 105% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at The Oaks Primary School?
Classes at The Oaks Primary School average 31.1 pupils (2025/26). 4 classes have more than 30 pupils.
How many pupils go to The Oaks Primary School?
The Oaks Primary School has around 218 pupils on roll. 7% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Oaks Primary School?
3.5% of sessions were missed at The Oaks Primary School in 2024/25. 4.8% of pupils were persistently absent.
How many road collisions happen near The Oaks Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 3 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 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 The Oaks Primary School?
The Oaks Primary School is at Sharples Hall Drive, Bolton, Lancashire, BL1 7HS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)