School Chooser

Green Fold School

Special · ages 4-11MixedCouncil172 pupilsBolton
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedOutstandingLast Ofsted inspection, November 2023
Reached the expected level at 110%England 63%
Attendance88.9%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families41%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull172 pupils, 132 places
Pupils per teacher5.7School workforce census

Green Fold School is a council special school in Bolton for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 172 pupils, 40 more than it has places for. About 41 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2023.

Highfield Road, Farnworth, Bolton, BL4 0NS01204 335883greenfold.bolton.sch.ukMrs Lisa Walker executive head teacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 14 November 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Outstanding overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Outstanding
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Outstanding
Early years
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes
Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
5 May 2022UngradedSchool remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

22 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 110%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%20232024: 0%0%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2017: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017BoltonEngland
Pupils tested222013171115
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%65%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%10%8%
Expected level: readingReading expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score+4.1-5.0
Maths progressMaths progress score+1.5-4.3
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged0%0%0%0%0%

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.

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. Every gap at this school is 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 the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
0%0%
No gapEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

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.

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.

Pupils on roll172Census January 2026
Places132130% full
Pupils from low-income families41%41% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English22%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%172 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)41%£110,050 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls119 / 53
White British pupils52%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, physical disability, profound and multiple learning difficulties, speech, language and communication, severe 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.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (113), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (34), Severe learning difficulty (14), language and communications needs (6), Physical disability (2), emotional and mental health (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll172166166153148139
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals41%40%37%38%38%41%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language22%22%24%24%28%25%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%1%1%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%99%99%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 88.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance88.9%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school29.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.4%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence11.1%11.5%10.1%12.9%6.7%9.3%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence8.7%9.7%8.5%10.6%5.5%8.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.4%1.8%1.5%2.3%1.2%1.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence29.8%40.1%39.2%43.7%20.3%31.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers30.2full-time equivalent, 31 people
Pupils per teacher5.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers97%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants74.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£47,800
Teachers who left in the year19%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.12024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£31,668England £32,258. Total £5.3m
Income per pupil£32,051England £32,367. Total £5.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£10,652England £11,930
Money in reserve4%Not much put by: £199k, £1,199 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out+£64kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£31,668spent per pupil

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

Crimes within 500 m112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate0 per 1,000 people100% lower than the England average
Typical house price£205,000Bolton
Nearest bus stop90 mCherry Tree Primary School, 23 stops within 500 m

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.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
The Orchards Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school10 m97Good 2024Compare
Cherry Tree Primary SchoolCouncil60 m408Report card 20265Compare
Highfield Primary SchoolCouncil770 m412Report card 202656Compare
Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary SchoolRoman Catholic910 m236No overall grade 202489Compare
St James's Church of England High SchoolAcademy960 m1,053Good 202270Compare
King's Leadership Academy BoltonFree school0.7 miles910Good 202338Compare
Wharton Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles378Not inspected39Compare
Mount St Joseph RC High School a Voluntary AcademyAcademy0.7 miles895Requires improvement 20232Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Green Fold School a good school?

Green Fold School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it outstanding at its last inspection in November 2023.

What is Green Fold School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Green Fold School outstanding at its last full inspection on 14 November 2023.

How good are Green Fold School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Green Fold School have?

172 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 132 places, so it is 130% full.

What is attendance like at Green Fold School?

Pupils were in school 88.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 30% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Green Fold School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for autism, physical disability, profound and multiple learning difficulties, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Highfield Road, Farnworth, Bolton, BL4 0NS
Telephone
01204 335883
Website
www.greenfold.bolton.sch.uk
Executive Head Teacher
Mrs Lisa Walker
Type of school
Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Bolton
Ward
Farnworth South
Constituency
Bolton South and Walkden
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
105281 · LAESTAB 3507008 · UKPRN 10077020

Where these figures come from