St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge

About St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge

St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge, sits well above the Bolton local authority average for Key Stage 2 outcomes. The most recent data shows 77% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a LA average of 66%. That puts the school in the top 25% nationally and 16th out of 87 primary schools in Bolton. The school's reading average score of 107 and maths average of 105 both exceed the national benchmark of 100, and the proportion of pupils reaching the higher standard in reading (48%) and writing (39%) is notably strong. This is a school that consistently outperforms its local peers, and its most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2024 awarded Outstanding across every graded category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, early years provision, and leadership and management. The previous inspection in 2013 also rated the school Outstanding overall, so this is a sustained track record of high performance.

Looking more closely at the exam data, 84% of pupils reached the expected standard in both reading and writing individually, and 77% did so in maths. The higher-standard figures are particularly telling: 39% in maths and 39% in writing, with reading leading at 48%. The school's ranking score of 77 (based on the proportion reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths) places it comfortably in the top 20% of schools nationally. In the North West region, it ranks 275th out of 2,065 primary schools, putting it in the top 14%. The Parent View survey, based on 36 responses collected between September 2024 and September 2025, shows strong satisfaction: 83% of parents would recommend the school, and 83% strongly agreed that their child is happy at the school. However, 11% strongly disagreed with that statement, and 17% would not recommend the school, so there is a minority of dissatisfied voices.

The school is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, with 77 applications for 30 places and 38 first-preference applications. It has a Church of England character and a nursery provision for children from age 2. Facilities include a forest school, sensory room, chapel, sports hall, and art studios, with clubs covering drama, coding, eco club and book club. The school's SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health, and autistic spectrum disorder. With 27.2% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a relatively diverse catchment. This is a strong academic choice for families in Bolton who want a primary school with proven results, a clear moral framework, and a wide range of enrichment activities — but given the oversubscription, getting a place is competitive.

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