School Chooser

Walmsley CofE Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademyChurch of England303 pupilsBolton
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredThere isn't enough published data yet. To get a score, a school needs results or an inspection plus at least one other figure.
OfstedRequires improvementLast Ofsted inspection, February 2024
Reached the expected level at 1185%England 63%
Attendance96.6%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families3%Far fewer than most schools
PlacesFull303 pupils, 280 places
Pupils on roll303Census January 2026

Walmsley CofE Primary School is a converter academy in Bolton for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 303 pupils, 23 more than it has places for. 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 requires improvement, back in 2024.

Blackburn Road, Egerton, Bolton, BL7 9SA01204 332650walmsley.bolton.sch.ukMrs Joanna Atherton headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 13 February 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Requires improvement overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Requires improvement
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Requires improvement
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Requires improvement
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Requires improvement
Early years
Requires improvement
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

48 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. These are the results of Walmsley CofE Primary School, the school this one replaced.

Reached the expected level at 1185%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level25%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score110.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score110.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 87%87%20172018: 85%85%20182019: 70%70%20192023: 58%58%20232024: 78%78%20242025: 85%85%2025
Since 2017: -2%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025†2024†2023†2019†2018†2017†BoltonEngland
Pupils tested484959604746
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths85%78%58%70%85%87%65%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths25%16%10%12%21%20%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score110.0107.0105.0105.0108.0107.0105.3105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score110.0107.0104.0105.0107.0108.0105.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score110.0107.0105.0105.0108.0109.0106.2105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard92%86%78%78%89%89%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard92%82%71%85%89%89%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)92%88%63%93%89%91%
Reading progressReading progress score-1.6-0.7+1.2+0.1
Maths progressMaths progress score-2.1-1.3+1.1+1.5
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged73%17%88%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged79%62%87%

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 Walmsley CofE Primary School, the school this one replaced in January 2026. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

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 11Boys vs girls
86%85%
Gap 1 ptsEngland 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. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

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 roll303Census January 2026
Places280108% full
Pupils from low-income families3%3% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English6%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support18%53 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan2%6 pupils with a plan
Average class size27.511 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils9%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)3%£13,950 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls147 / 156
White British pupils88%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 26.7 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (26), language and communications needs (17), emotional and mental health (9), Physical disability (4), Hearing impairment (3).

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.6%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school4.9%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Missed without permission1.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/25†2023/24†2022/23†2021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.4%3.8%4.4%5.2%1.6%3.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.3%2.6%3.4%4.5%1.5%2.5%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.2%1.2%1.0%0.7%0.2%0.6%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence4.9%6.3%7.2%9.5%2.0%2.9%12.8%

† These attendance figures are for Walmsley CofE Primary School, the school this one replaced in January 2026. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Money

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£5,866England £7,738. Total £1.9m
Income per pupil£5,910England £7,697. Total £1.9m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,088England £3,480
Money in reserve8%Not much put by: £149k, £462 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£14kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£5,866spent 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 stop80 mMason Street, 7 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 primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Egerton Community Primary SchoolAcademy0.6 milesNot inspectedCompare
St John the Evangelist RC Primary School, Bromley Cross, BoltonRoman Catholic0.7 miles162Good 202449Compare
Eagley Infant SchoolAcademy0.9 miles203Good 202365Compare
Eagley Junior SchoolAcademy1.1 miles224No overall grade 202564Compare
High Lawn Primary SchoolCouncil1.1 miles492No overall grade 202441Compare
The Oaks Primary SchoolCouncil1.2 miles218Good 202385Compare
Sharples Primary SchoolCouncil1.4 miles245Not inspected67Compare
Holy Infant and St Anthony RC Primary SchoolRoman Catholic1.6 miles188Report card 202610Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Walmsley CofE Primary School a good school?

Walmsley CofE Primary School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it requires improvement at its last inspection in February 2024.

What is Walmsley CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Walmsley CofE Primary School requires improvement at its last full inspection on 13 February 2024.

How good are Walmsley CofE Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 85% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 25% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Walmsley CofE Primary School have?

303 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 280 places, so it is 108% full.

What is attendance like at Walmsley CofE Primary School?

Pupils were in school 96.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 5% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Walmsley CofE Primary School?

The average class had 27.5 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 9% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

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

Contact and details

Address
Blackburn Road, Egerton, Bolton, BL7 9SA
Telephone
01204 332650
Website
www.walmsley.bolton.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Joanna Atherton
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Manchester
Multi-academy trust
The Bishop Fraser Trust (8 schools)
Local authority
Bolton
Ward
Bromley Cross
Constituency
Bolton North East
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 January 2026 (academy converter)
URN
152265 · LAESTAB 3503341 · UKPRN 10099633
Formerly
Walmsley CofE Primary School

Where these figures come from