The Ferns Primary Academy

About The Ferns Primary Academy

The Ferns Primary Academy in Bolton is clearly a school that local families want, with 105 applications for 55 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.91. That means nearly two families applied for every available spot, and 53 of those 105 applicants put it as their first preference, all of whom were offered a place. This level of demand is a strong signal that parents who know the school rate it highly. The school is led by headteacher Sarah Hambley and educates 450 pupils aged 3 to 11, which is slightly above its official capacity of 420. It has a nursery provision, so families with younger children can get a foot in the door early. The school is non-religious and mixed, and its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2021 graded it Good overall, with Good marks for leadership and management, early years provision, and behaviour and attitudes. That was an ungraded inspection, meaning the school remains Good, and it represents a clear improvement from its previous graded inspection in 2016, which rated it Requires Improvement.

Academically, The Ferns Primary Academy performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 87% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the Bolton local authority average of 66%. That puts the school 6th out of 87 primaries in the borough, and in the top 5% nationally. The school also does well at the higher standard, with 17% of pupils achieving that level in maths, 32% in reading, and 12% in writing. Average scaled scores were 106 in maths and 107 in reading, both above the national benchmark of 100. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is not possible to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points, but the raw outcomes are strong. The school's closest competitors in the local rankings are The Olive School, Bolton, The Oaks Primary School, and Beaumont Primary School, all of which score slightly higher on the same metric.

The school offers a solid range of facilities, including a sports hall, library, art studios, ICT suite, sensory room, and even a chapel. Sports on offer include netball, football, cross country, dance, gymnastics, cricket, and swimming, and there are clubs such as science club, choir, gardening, drama, and chess. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists a wide range of SEND provisions, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate to severe learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. With 36.3% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a relatively disadvantaged catchment, yet its academic outcomes are well above the local norm. This is a school that suits families who want strong academic results in a state primary setting, and who are willing to compete for a place given the oversubscription. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is St Peter's CofE Primary School, 1.2 km away, which may be an alternative for those who prefer a church school.

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