Washacre Primary Academy

About Washacre Primary Academy

Washacre Primary Academy is a school that local parents are clearly keen to get into. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 28 applications for just 21 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.33. Of those applications, 10 were first-preference choices, and 9 of those families were offered a place. That level of demand suggests a solid reputation among Bolton families, though it's worth noting that the nearest Outstanding-rated school, Eatock Primary School, is only 0.7 km away, so parents in the area do have a highly-rated alternative on their doorstep. Washacre itself is a Good school, a rating it earned in its most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2020. That inspection marked a clear improvement from the previous one in 2017, when the school was rated Requires Improvement. Under headteacher C Howarth, the school now holds Good marks across all five Ofsted categories, including behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

Academically, Washacre is a solidly performing primary school within the Bolton local authority. The school's most recent Key Stage 2 results show that 66% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, which is exactly in line with the local authority average for Bolton. That's a respectable figure, though it does place Washacre behind some of the highest-performing primaries in the area, such as The Olive School, Bolton, and The Oaks Primary School. The school has a relatively small cohort of 177 pupils against a capacity of 210, so class sizes are manageable. A significant 37.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is well above the national average, and the school's Progress 8 score is not available in the data, but the attainment figures suggest pupils are keeping pace with their peers across the borough. There is no sixth form or nursery provision, so the school focuses entirely on the 5-11 age range.

For families considering Washacre, the practical offering is strong. The school has a wide range of facilities including a Forest School, ICT suite, library, gymnasium, playing fields, art studios and even a chapel. Sports provision covers dance, gymnastics, swimming, cross country and tennis, while after-school clubs include science club, choir, coding, drama and film club. The SEND provision is particularly comprehensive, with support for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, physical disabilities, and autistic spectrum disorder, plus a resourced provision. This makes Washacre a strong option for families whose children need additional support within a mainstream setting. The school is non-religious and mixed gender, and with an oversubscription ratio of 1.33, it's competitive but not impossible to get into, especially for first-preference applicants.

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