Bolton School Boys' Division
Bolton School Boys' Division is an independent school in Bolton for boys aged 7 to 18. It has 1,131 pupils and room for 1,180.
Chorley New Road, Bolton, BL1 4PA01204 840201boltonschool.org/seniorboysMr Nic Ford headteacherAll details
Inspection
This private school is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, not Ofsted. Its reports are at isi.net.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
131 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | Bolton | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 131 | 142 | 149 | 136 | 130 | 133 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 34.3 | 52.0 | 51.4 | 56.5 | 52.6 | 52.6 | 46.7 | 46.8 |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 45% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 66% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.05 | 4.89 | 4.95 | 5.33 | 5.02 | 3.37 | 4.07 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 36% | 41% |
Subjects
Results came out for 16 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Strongest subjects
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physics | 89 | 60% | 99% | 100% | 82% | – |
| Chemistry | 89 | 54% | 98% | 100% | 81% | – |
| Biology | 89 | 46% | 99% | 100% | 82% | – |
| Design & Technology | 49 | 41% | 78% | 92% | 50% | – |
| Physical Education | 44 | 23% | 77% | 91% | 56% | – |
| French | 44 | 50% | 84% | 91% | 60% | – |
| Combined Science | 42 | 7% | 79% | 95% | 36% | – |
| Other Sciences | 39 | 72% | 90% | 95% | 67% | – |
| German | 38 | 42% | 87% | 95% | 63% | – |
| Spanish | 38 | 24% | 58% | 76% | 54% | – |
| Classical Civilisation | 37 | 16% | 65% | 81% | 58% | – |
| Religious Studies | 33 | 39% | 85% | 100% | 60% | – |
| Other Modern Languages | 17 | 53% | 88% | 94% | 49% | – |
| Music | 17 | 71% | 100% | 100% | 61% | – |
| Art and Design | 15 | 13% | 67% | 100% | 58% | – |
| Latin | 7 | 86% | 100% | 100% | 82% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
A level and sixth-form results, 2025
102 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 102 | 117 | 114 | 113 | 213 | 206 |
| Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry | 40.36 | 37.72 | 42.44 | 43.42 | 40.27 | 42.93 |
| Average A level grade | B | B- | B+ | B+ | B | B+ |
| Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS | 40.37 | 37.70 | 42.74 | 43.33 | 41.94 | 44.48 |
| AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects | 34% | 22% | 36% | 42% | 42% | 44% |
| A level progressA level value added | +0.15 | -0.01 | – | – | +0.45 | +0.23 |
A level subjects
17 A level subjects had results in 2025. Each figure is the share of students who got an A* to B, next to the average for state sixth forms in England. When only a handful of students take a subject, its figures jump around from year to year.
Strongest A levels
Every A level subject against England, 2025
A levels only. BTECs, T levels and other courses are in the table above. Subjects with fewer than five students aren't published.
Getting a place
Grammar school. This is a grammar school, so places depend on an entrance test.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Bolton council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 1,131 | 1,124 | 1,151 | 1,174 | 1,180 | 1,160 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | – | – | – | – | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | – | – | – | – | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 15% | 14% | 10% | 9% | 9% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
What pupils do next
After sixth form
Where the 114 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 87% | 94% | 90% |
| Education | 73% | 75% | 79% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 2% | 1% |
| Work | 8% | 17% | 11% |
| Not in education, work or training | 5% | 1% | 4% |
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bolton School Girls' Division | Independent (grammar) | 300 m | 1,057 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Bolton School Infant & Nursery School | Independent (grammar) | 300 m | 300 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Gilnow Primary School | Council | 540 m | 221 | Good 2022 | 61 | Compare |
| Devonshire Road Primary School | Council | 630 m | 415 | Good 2022 | 67 | Compare |
| Pikes Lane Primary School | Council | 780 m | 512 | No overall grade 2025 | 15 | Compare |
| Gaskell Community Primary School | Council | 870 m | 472 | No overall grade 2025 | 83 | Compare |
| St Thomas of Canterbury RC School | Roman Catholic | 990 m | 410 | Good 2023 | 43 | Compare |
| Oxford Grove Primary School | Council | 0.6 miles | 449 | Outstanding 2023 | 99 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Bolton School Boys' Division a good school?
We don't have enough published data to score Bolton School Boys' Division yet.
How good are Bolton School Boys' Division's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 0% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 34.3, against 46.8 for England.
How many pupils does Bolton School Boys' Division have?
1,131 pupils aged 7 to 18 were on the roll in January 2024. It has 1,180 places, so it is 96% full. It is a boys' school.
Does Bolton School Boys' Division have an entrance exam?
Yes. It is a grammar school, so places depend on an entrance test, usually sat in September of Year 6. Check the school's admissions page for the test dates and the pass mark.
Does Bolton School Boys' Division have a sixth form?
Yes. The average A level grade in 2025 was B. 17 A level subjects had results in 2025; the full list is in the results section.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Chorley New Road, Bolton, BL1 4PA
- Telephone
- 01204 840201
- Website
- www.boltonschool.org/seniorboys
- Headteacher
- Mr Nic Ford
- Type of school
- Independent school (Other independent school, independent schools)
- Phase
- Independent school, ages 7-18, with sixth form
- Gender
- Boys
- Religious character
- None
- Local authority
- Bolton
- Ward
- Queens Park & Central
- Constituency
- Bolton North East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 30 September 1980
- URN
- 105271 · LAESTAB 3506014 · UKPRN 10017185
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- A level subjects: DfE A level and other 16 to 18 results, subject entries and grades, 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.