Bolton St Catherine's Academy

About Bolton St Catherine's Academy

Just over six in ten parents who responded to Ofsted's Parent View survey between September 2024 and September 2025 said they would recommend Bolton St Catherine's Academy. That's 63 per cent saying yes, against 37 per cent who would not. The school received 114 responses in total, which gives a reasonable sense of how families feel. On specific questions, the picture is mixed. A strong majority agreed that their child can take part in clubs and activities, with 90 per cent in agreement. Similarly, 82 per cent agreed there is a good range of subjects available. But when it comes to how concerns are handled, opinion is more divided: 50 per cent agreed they are dealt with properly, while 34 per cent disagreed. The school is slightly oversubscribed for Year 7 entry in 2025/26, with 152 applications for 145 places, and 89 of those offers went to first-preference families. That oversubscription ratio of 1.05 suggests demand is modest but real.

Academically, the school's most recent Progress 8 score was -0.71, which is well below the national average and ranks it 18th out of 19 secondary schools in Bolton. The local authority average Progress 8 score is 0.07, so the gap is significant. Attainment 8 came in at 35, and just 25.7 per cent of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths. The EBacc average point score was 2.88, with only 4.3 per cent of pupils entering the EBacc and achieving a grade 5 or above. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2025, the school was not given an overall effectiveness grade, but the quality of education was judged as Requires Improvement. On the positive side, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management were all rated Good, and early years provision was also Good. The previous inspection in 2022 had rated the school Requires Improvement across the board, so there has been some progress in key areas.

The school is a Church of England all-through academy for pupils aged 3 to 16, with a current roll of 1,020 against a capacity of 1,186. It has a wide range of facilities, including a swimming pool, theatre, chapel, music rooms, and tennis courts. Sports on offer include football, rugby, hockey, netball, and gymnastics, and there are clubs such as eco club, orchestra, coding, and debate. For pupils with special educational needs, the school has a SEN unit and a resourced provision, and it supports a broad range of needs including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language communication needs, and social, emotional and mental health difficulties. Over half of pupils are eligible for free school meals, at 51.5 per cent. This is a school that serves a diverse community and offers strong pastoral and extracurricular provision, but families focused on academic outcomes may want to look at higher-performing options in the Bolton area.

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