St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Little Lever

About St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Little Lever

St Matthew's CofE Primary School in Little Lever was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, a significant improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2010. The school's leadership and management were also judged Good. However, the most telling academic metric is the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined at Key Stage 2, which stands at 48 per cent. This is well below the Bolton local authority average of 66 per cent, placing the school 78th out of 87 primary schools in the borough and in the bottom 50 per cent nationally. While individual subject results are stronger — 79 per cent of pupils met the expected standard in reading and 67 per cent in maths — writing is a notable weak spot, with only 55 per cent reaching the expected level and no pupils achieving the higher standard.

The school's average scaled scores tell a mixed story. In reading, pupils achieved an average score of 105, which is above the national benchmark of 100, while maths averaged 102. At the higher standard, 24 per cent of pupils achieved this in reading and 15 per cent in maths, but again no pupils reached this level in writing. The school has no published progress scores for reading, writing or maths, so it is difficult to assess how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points. In the Bolton local authority, 16 out of 97 primary schools are rated Outstanding, with the nearest being Prestolee Primary School, just 1.5 kilometres away. For families comparing options, St Matthew's offers a solid but unexceptional academic profile, with reading as a relative strength and writing as a clear area for development.

With 195 pupils on roll against a capacity of 210, the school is slightly undersubscribed overall but was oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, receiving 50 applications for 26 places, with 14 first-preference offers made. The school serves a Church of England community and has a free school meals rate of 16.4 per cent, slightly above the national average. Facilities include a sports hall, ICT suite, sensory room and chapel, and the school offers a broad range of clubs from coding to gardening, plus sports such as cross country, swimming and cricket. SEND provision covers specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, speech and language needs, and social, emotional and mental health support. This is a school that suits families prioritising a faith-based setting with a strong pastoral and extracurricular offer, but who may want to investigate the writing outcomes further before committing.

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