Sharples Primary School
Hugh Lupus Street, Bolton, BL1 8RU
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Gemma Partington
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- SEN provision
- VI - Visual Impairment
- Constituency
- Bolton North East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 245
- URN
- 105162
- Local authority
- Bolton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01204333077
About this school
Sharples Primary School is a community primary school in Bolton. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 245 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 12 February 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 33 | 32 | 32 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 70% | 69% | 66% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 9% | 6% | 6% |
| Expected standard in reading | 70% | 75% | 69% |
| Expected standard in maths | 79% | 81% | 75% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 70% | 78% | 75% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +5.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.00 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Sharples Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Bolton average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 70% | 63.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 69% | 63.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 66% | 63.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 248 |
| 2023/24 | 260 |
| 2024/25 | 253 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Sharples Primary School compares
Sharples Primary School ranked 43rd of 89 primary schools in Bolton for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 55% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 66% | 4.8% | 21.3% | 245 | — |
| The Oaks Primary School | 79% | 3.5% | 7.3% | 218 | 0.3 miles |
| High Lawn Primary School | 61% | 5.3% | 27.3% | 492 | 0.5 miles |
| St Columba's RC Primary School | 69% | 6% | 30.4% | 235 | 0.6 miles |
| St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge | 79% | 4.2% | 30.8% | 251 | 0.6 miles |
| Holy Infant and St Anthony RC Primary School | 52% | 5.1% | 37.3% | 188 | 0.7 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 21.33%
- English as an additional language
- 40.3%
- Overall absence
- 4.84%
- Persistent absence
- 9.55%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Oaks Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
High Lawn Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
St Columba's RC Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge0.6 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Holy Infant and St Anthony RC Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Bolton
Other schools in Bolton
Sharples Primary School ranks 43rd of the 88 ranked primary schools in Bolton.
- All Saints CofE Primary School Primary
- Beacon Primary School Primary
- Beaumont Primary School Primary
- Bishop Bridgeman CofE Primary School Primary
- Blackrod Anglican/Methodist Primary School Primary
- Blackrod Primary School Primary
- Blackshaw Primary School Primary
- Bolton Parish Church, Church of England Primary School Primary
- Bowness Primary School Primary
- Brandwood Primary School Primary
- Brownlow Fold Primary School Primary
- Castle Hill Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Sharples Primary School teach?
- Sharples Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Bolton.
- Who is the headteacher of Sharples Primary School?
- The headteacher of Sharples Primary School is Mrs Gemma Partington, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Sharples Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Sharples Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Sharples Primary School?
- Sharples Primary School has 245 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Sharples Primary School full?
- Sharples Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 245 on roll (117%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Sharples Primary School a faith school?
- No. Sharples Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Sharples Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Sharples Primary School as having nursery classes.
- What SEN provision does Sharples Primary School have?
- The schools register lists Sharples Primary School's special educational needs provision as: VI - Visual Impairment. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Sharples Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 70% in 2022/23 and 66% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Sharples Primary School rank locally?
- Sharples Primary School ranked 43rd of 89 primary schools in Bolton for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 55% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Sharples Primary School's absence rate?
- Sharples Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Sharples Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Sharples Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.