School Chooser

The Orchards Nursery School

Nursery · ages 2-4MixedLocal authority nursery school97 pupilsNurseryBolton
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, March 2024
Pupils from low-income families3%Far fewer than most schools
Pupils per teacher36.9School workforce census
Pupils on roll97Census January 2026

The Orchards Nursery School is a local authority nursery school in Bolton for boys and girls aged 2 to 4. It has 97 pupils. About 3 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Highfield Road, Bolton, BL4 0NS01204 335883theorchardsnursery.co.ukMrs Katie Hague executive head teacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 21 March 2024 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

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 roll97Census January 2026
Pupils from low-income families1%3% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English30%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support31%30 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan0%0 pupils with a plan
Boys and girls61 / 36
White British pupils51%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (18), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (9), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (2), Other difficulty or disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll97939810110399
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals1%0%2%4%1%1%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language30%22%17%16%14%6%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support27%24%17%19%13%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans0%0%0%0%2%

Staff and money

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

Teachers1.8full-time equivalent, 2 people
Pupils per teacher36.9Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants7.7full-time equivalent
Teachers who left in the year50%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0

Money

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

Spend per pupil£12,272England £7,738. Total £700k
Income per pupil£13,470England £7,697. Total £768k
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,782England £3,480
Money in reserve10%A healthy amount put by: £78k, £1,374 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£68kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£12,272spent 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
Green Fold SchoolCouncil10 m172Outstanding 2023Compare
Cherry Tree Primary SchoolCouncil60 m408Report card 20265Compare
Highfield Primary SchoolCouncil780 m412Report card 202656Compare
Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary SchoolRoman Catholic920 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 The Orchards Nursery School a good school?

The Orchards Nursery School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in March 2024.

What is The Orchards Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated The Orchards Nursery School good at its last full inspection on 21 March 2024.

How many pupils does The Orchards Nursery School have?

97 pupils aged 2 to 4 were on the roll in January 2026.

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

Contact and details

Address
Highfield Road, Bolton, BL4 0NS
Telephone
01204 335883
Website
www.theorchardsnursery.co.uk
Executive Head Teacher
Mrs Katie Hague
Type of school
Local authority nursery school (Local authority nursery school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Nursery school, ages 2-4, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Bolton
Ward
Farnworth South
Constituency
Bolton South and Walkden
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
105145 · LAESTAB 3501006

Where these figures come from