Prestolee Primary School

About Prestolee Primary School

Prestolee Primary School is a state primary for mixed-gender pupils aged 3 to 11, located in the Bolton local authority area. It sits within a competitive local landscape: among the 97 primary schools in Bolton, Prestolee ranks 21st, placing it in the top quarter of schools in the borough. The three highest-ranked peers in the area are The Olive School, Bolton, The Oaks Primary School, and Beaumont Primary School, all of which score higher on the same ranking metric. Still, Prestolee holds its own with a ranking score of 77, and it is one of only 16 schools in Bolton to have achieved an Outstanding rating from Ofsted. Its most recent graded inspection, carried out in June 2024, awarded the top grade across every category: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This is a notable improvement on its previous inspection in 2011, which also rated the school Outstanding overall but did not assess quality of education or personal development.

Academically, Prestolee performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 77% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined, compared with the Bolton LA average of 66%. The school also outperforms on individual subjects: 83% met the expected standard in maths, and 80% did so in both reading and writing. At the higher standard, 37% of pupils achieved above the expected level in reading, 23% in maths, and 20% in writing. Average scaled scores were 107 in reading and 106 in maths, both comfortably above the national benchmark of 100. Nationally, Prestolee ranks in the 16th percentile among all primaries, and within the North West region it sits in the 15th percentile. While the school does not publish progress scores for reading, writing, or maths, the attainment data alone suggests strong academic foundations for its 252 pupils.

The school is well equipped with facilities including a library, playing fields, a forest school, a sensory room, a gymnasium, a sports hall, an ICT suite, and a chapel. It offers a range of extracurricular activities such as chess, book club, coding, and science club, alongside sports including cross country, rounders, tennis, and dance. Prestolee provides nursery provision for younger children and has a dedicated set of SEND provisions covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. The school is oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 academic year, it received 58 applications for 23 places, a ratio of 2.52 applicants per place, with 22 first-preference offers made. This level of demand, combined with its Outstanding Ofsted rating and strong local ranking, makes Prestolee a popular choice for families in Bolton seeking a primary education with solid academic outcomes and good support for additional needs.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Prestolee Primary School

Helpful Guides for Parents