The Olive School, Bolton, Bolton

From the headteacher's welcome: "Join our team and we promise a rewarding experience in return. Read more › Keep up to date with what is going on and when. Read more › At the Olive School, Bolton, we are passionate about instilling high aspirations, a desire to learn and the ambition to achieve within all of our pupils."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, swimming, drama, choir, coding, Lego, STEM, cooking, gardening and French.

The school runs a breakfast club.

Coming up: an admissions event on Thursday 19 November 2026 at 9am. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2025, 98% of Year 6 pupils at The Olive School, Bolton reached the expected standard in reading and 98% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 78% in Bolton and 77% and 75% across England.

Results were similar in 2024 (98% in reading, 97% in maths).

For September 2026 entry, 108 families put The Olive School, Bolton as their first choice and 184 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.8 first choices for every place. 48 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state primary schools to The Olive School, Bolton are Brownlow Fold Primary School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 67% reading, 63% maths); St Thomas C of E Primary School, Halliwell (0.2 miles, Good, 71% reading, 71% maths); St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton (0.3 miles, Good, 71% reading, 74% maths); and Oxford Grove Primary School (0.3 miles, Outstanding, 85% reading, 83% maths).

The Olive School, Bolton's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.

The Olive School, Bolton is one of 36 schools run by Star Academies, an academy trust.

Across the trust's primary schools, 85% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.

78 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Olive School, Bolton (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 82% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (82%).

46.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are Asian (77%), Mixed (10%) and Black (8%).

In 2026, 48 pupils (11.4%) received SEN support and 12 (2.8%) 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.

The nearest railway station is Bolton Rail Station, about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.

9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Lytton Street (opposite), 70 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Olive School, Bolton stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, The Olive School, Bolton issued 1 suspension, 0.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to The Olive School, Bolton are Eden Boys' School, Bolton (0.3 miles); Thornleigh Salesian College (0.8 miles); and Smithills School (0.8 miles).