St Peter's CofE Primary School

About St Peter's CofE Primary School

St Peter's CofE Primary School in Bolton is clearly a popular choice among local families. In the 2025/26 admissions round, the school received 93 applications for just 55 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.69. Of those applications, 50 were first-preference choices, and all 50 received offers — meaning that while the school is oversubscribed overall, families who put it first have a strong chance of securing a place. This level of demand is a solid signal of parent confidence, though it's worth noting that the school does not publish a formal parent-view survey result, so we can't quote a specific recommendation percentage. Still, the numbers speak for themselves: parents are actively choosing St Peter's, and the school is operating at near-full capacity with 422 pupils against a capacity of 420.

Academically, St Peter's performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 69% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the Bolton local authority average of 66%. The school's reading average score was 105, and maths averaged 103. At the higher standard, 8% of pupils achieved in all three subjects, with 28% reaching that level in reading, 20% in writing and 18% in maths. This places St Peter's 37th out of 87 primary schools in Bolton, putting it in the top half of the local authority. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, a graded visit in 2016, rated the school Outstanding overall, with Outstanding marks for early years provision, leadership and management, and the quality of education. An ungraded inspection in 2021 confirmed the school remains Outstanding. The previous inspection in 2011 had rated it Good.

The school offers a strong range of facilities including a forest school, chapel, sports hall, art studios and music rooms, plus clubs such as coding, gardening and chess. Sports provision covers cross country, gymnastics, swimming and football. For families with children who have additional needs, St Peter's lists SEND support for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, visual impairment and autistic spectrum disorder. As a Church of England primary, it has a religious character but is open to all. With 33.2% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a diverse catchment. It suits families who want a well-subscribed, high-performing state primary with a broad extracurricular offer and strong SEND provision, all within a faith-based setting.

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