Bolton St Catherine's Academy
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Bolton St Catherine's Academy is a converter academy in Bolton for boys and girls aged 2 to 16. It has 1,003 pupils and room for 1,130. About 53 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 10 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 30% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.
Stitch MI Lane, Bolton, BL2 4HU01204 332533boltonstcatherinesacademy.org.ukMr Gareth Watson headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 11 March 2025, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
138 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 | 138 | 140 | 148 | 135 | 129 | 141 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 34.3 | 35.0 | 34.5 | 36.1 | 29.9 | 36.0 | 46.7 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.71 | -0.58 | -0.75 | -1.32 | -0.69 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 19% | 26% | 27% | 32% | 15% | 19% | 45% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 46% | 49% | 45% | 48% | 32% | 35% | 66% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 2.89 | 2.88 | 2.76 | 2.97 | 2.52 | 2.77 | 4.07 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 8% | 9% | 5% | 10% | 9% | 11% | 36% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 30.9 | 32.2 | 28.7 | 31.0 | 25.6 | 31.2 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 37.9 | 37.5 | 41.6 | 41.6 | 33.8 | 42.4 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 24.4 | 22.2 | 25.6 | 16.5 | 22.8 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 53.2 | 57.4 | 70.2 | 44.2 | 49.8 | – | – |
† These results are for Bolton St Catherine's Academy, the school this one replaced in May 2018. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Subjects
Results came out for 15 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.
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Biology (38% here, 82% across England), Chemistry (47% here, 81% across England), Art and Design (27% here, 58% across England), Business (23% here, 51% across England).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 138 | 1% | 26% | 56% | 53% | 3,078 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 138 | 8% | 34% | 51% | 54% | 2,878 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 135 | 7% | 35% | 50% | 58% | 2,930 of 3,202 |
| Combined Science | 120 | 1% | 14% | 30% | 36% | 2,870 of 3,084 |
| Geography | 74 | 8% | 32% | 47% | 51% | 2,513 of 3,116 |
| History | 72 | 13% | 36% | 53% | 52% | 2,474 of 3,126 |
| Art and Design | 49 | 10% | 27% | 65% | 58% | 2,593 of 2,818 |
| Business | 40 | 3% | 23% | 35% | 51% | 1,638 of 1,806 |
| Drama | 18 | 0% | 33% | 56% | 60% | – |
| Biology | 16 | 6% | 38% | 69% | 82% | – |
| Chemistry | 15 | 7% | 47% | 87% | 81% | – |
| Physics | 15 | 7% | 60% | 87% | 82% | – |
| Design & Technology | 14 | 0% | 14% | 14% | 50% | – |
| Music | 10 | 0% | 60% | 80% | 61% | – |
| French | 8 | 13% | 88% | 100% | 60% | – |
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.
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
32 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018† | 2017† | Bolton | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 32 | 54 | 57 | 30 | 32 | 27 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 34% | 52% | 60% | 60% | 72% | 67% | 65% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 6% | 4% | 4% | 3% | 9% | 4% | 10% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 100.0 | 102.0 | 102.0 | 103.0 | 102.0 | 102.0 | 105.3 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 103.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 | 107.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 | 105.2 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 100.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 | 108.0 | 105.0 | 110.0 | 106.2 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 50% | 63% | 65% | 63% | 72% | 74% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 66% | 81% | 77% | 90% | 75% | 78% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 69% | 69% | 74% | 70% | 75% | 78% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | +0.9 | +2.0 | +0.6 | +2.0 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | +4.2 | +5.5 | +5.0 | +2.6 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 19% | 50% | 53% | 65% | 69% | 70% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 64% | 54% | 71% | 50% | 83% | 57% | – | – |
There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.
† These results are for Bolton St Catherine's Academy, the school this one replaced in May 2018. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
A level and sixth-form results, 2019
77 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Students | 77 |
| Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry | 27.14 |
| Average A level grade | C- |
| A level progressA level value added | +0.11 |
| Stayed and finishedRetained and assessed | 54% |
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 3 of the 7 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
At the end of primary school, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.
206 places were empty (17% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.
In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place.
| Entry | Places | Applied at all | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Secondary | 160 | 196 | – all offered | LA |
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
Specialist SEND provision. Resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) and SEN unit with 18 pupils and a SEN unit with 250 pupils, for autism, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, specific learning difficulties.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Bolton with autism provision.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 23.0 pupils (England 26.2); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 28.5 (England 28.2).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (79), Autistic spectrum disorder (54), Moderate learning difficulty (53), language and communications needs (50), Specific learning difficulty (25), Other difficulty or disability (5).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 1,003 | 1,020 | 1,051 | 1,061 | 1,046 | 1,087 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 52% | 52% | 51% | 51% | 48% | 45% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 23% | 21% | 20% | 19% | 20% | 18% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 22% | 26% | 29% | 39% | 42% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 5% | 5% | 3% | 3% | 3% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 9.1% | 9.8% | 9.1% | 9.2% | 5.2% | 6.9% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.6% | 4.9% | 5.2% | 5.9% | 3.5% | 4.1% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 4.5% | 4.9% | 3.9% | 3.3% | 1.8% | 2.8% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 24.0% | 27.5% | 25.1% | 29.1% | 15.8% | 18.1% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 61.6 | 140.1 | 99.4 | 57.9 | 32.5 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 10 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 7 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 148 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 72%, compared with 85% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 78% | 82% | 84% | 88% |
| Education | 73% | 77% | 75% | 81% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 2% | 4% | 1% |
| Work | 3% | 3% | 5% | 6% |
| Not in education, work or training | 16% | 11% | 14% | 11% |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
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 secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firwood High School | Academy | 210 m | 261 | Good 2023 | – | Compare |
| Harwood Meadows Primary School | Academy | 610 m | 224 | Report card 2026 | 39 | Compare |
| Red Lane Primary School | Academy | 660 m | 475 | No overall grade 2025 | 69 | Compare |
| Hardy Mill Primary School | Council | 960 m | 316 | Not inspected | 51 | Compare |
| Park School Teaching Service | Academy alternative provision converter | 0.7 miles | 12 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Forwards Centre | Academy alternative provision converter | 0.7 miles | 48 | No overall grade 2025 | – | Compare |
| Breightmet School | Independent | 0.8 miles | 18 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton | Roman Catholic | 0.8 miles | 199 | Good 2020 | 54 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Bolton St Catherine's Academy with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Bolton St Catherine's Academy, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Co-op Academy North Manchester | Academy | 9.4 miles | 1,259 | Good 2024 | 26 | Compare |
| Dixons Ashton Academy | Academy | 14.0 miles | 1,326 | No overall grade 2025 | 15 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 10 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 10% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 7 to 15. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | well below | -0.25 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 138 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | below | -0.10 | Ofsted grade, 1.5 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | well below | -0.26 | DfE progress measure; 138 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | in line | -0.03 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | below | -0.05 | 2024/25; 1,049 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | below | -0.08 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 138 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | well below | -0.11 | 148 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is Bolton St Catherine's Academy a good school?
The figures are weak. Bolton St Catherine's Academy scores 10 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 30% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 7 to 15, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Bolton St Catherine's Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Bolton St Catherine's Academy not judged at its last full inspection on 11 March 2025.
How good are Bolton St Catherine's Academy's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 19% 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. In each subject, pupils here finished most of a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How good are Bolton St Catherine's Academy's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 34% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 6% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does Bolton St Catherine's Academy have?
1,003 pupils aged 2 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,130 places, so it is 89% full.
Is Bolton St Catherine's Academy oversubscribed?
Probably not. 206 places were empty in 2024/25 (17% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Bolton St Catherine's Academy?
Pupils were in school 91.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 24% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Bolton St Catherine's Academy?
The average class had 24.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 13% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Bolton St Catherine's Academy have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It has resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) and sen unit for autism, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, specific learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
Does Bolton St Catherine's Academy have a breakfast club?
Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Stitch MI Lane, Bolton, BL2 4HU
- Telephone
- 01204 332533
- Website
- www.boltonstcatherinesacademy.org.uk
- Headteacher
- Mr Gareth Watson
- Free breakfast club
- Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- All-through school, ages 2-16, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England, Diocese of Manchester
- Multi-academy trust
- The Bishop Fraser Trust (8 schools)
- Local authority
- Bolton
- Ward
- Breightmet
- Constituency
- Bolton North East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 May 2018 (fresh start)
- URN
- 145314 · LAESTAB 3504003 · UKPRN 10067377
- Formerly
- Bolton St Catherine's Academy
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.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Bolton council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2026.
- Breakfast club: DfE list of schools on the free breakfast club programme.
- 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.