St Bede Academy
About St Bede Academy
St Bede Academy in Bolton is a Church of England primary that clearly appeals to local families. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 99 applications for 72 places, making it oversubscribed with a ratio of 1.38 applicants per place. Of those, 70 were first-preference applications, and all 70 received offers — a strong signal that most families who put it top of their list got in. The school is led by headteacher Anna Black and currently has 660 pupils on roll, slightly above its official capacity of 630. It offers nursery provision for three-year-olds and caters for children up to age 11. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2023, rated it Good across all five categories: overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. Its early years provision was also rated Good. This represents a change from its previous inspection in 2009, when it was judged Outstanding overall.
Key Details
The full report on this school
The inspection in plain English, admissions context, and how this school compares to nearby alternatives — all in one full school report.
- Ofsted inspection in plain EnglishStrengths, concerns and what inspectors flagged
- Parent View survey resultsWhat parents told Ofsted — when the school has 10+ responses
- Where Ofsted and parents disagreeGaps to probe + questions to ask at the open day
- Admissions & catchmentAdmission criteria, distance cutoffs (where the LA publishes them)
- Nearby schools comparedBackup options with Ofsted, demand and distance
- Attendance & behaviour dataPersistent absentees, suspensions and exclusions vs national
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
24 Oct 2023Source: Ofsted, 4 Dec 2023. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
Facilities
6Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
11Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
School day
Teaching hours
09:00 – 15:15
Breakfast club
07:30-09:00
After-school care
15:15-18:00
Source: stbedeacademy.org. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.
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