Highfield Primary School
Marsh Lane, Farnworth, Bolton, BL4 0AP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr David Glyn-Jones
- Constituency
- Bolton South and Walkden
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 412
- URN
- 105182
- Local authority
- Bolton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01204571749
About this school
Highfield Primary School is a community primary school in Bolton. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 412 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 no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Strong standard
- Leadership and governance
- Expected standard
- Early years
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 60 | 59 | 59 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 63% | 76% | 66% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 5% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 73% | 83% | 80% |
| Expected standard in maths | 85% | 86% | 88% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 73% | 90% | 73% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 106.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.70 | - | - |
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 Highfield 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 | 63% | 63.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 76% | 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 | 6.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 417 |
| 2023/24 | 414 |
| 2024/25 | 417 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Highfield Primary School compares
Highfield Primary School ranked 42nd 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 32% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 66% | 6.4% | 25.9% | 412 | — |
| Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School | 79% | 4% | 23.8% | 236 | 0.1 miles |
| Cherry Tree Primary School | 44% | 7.7% | 52% | 408 | 0.4 miles |
| The Ferns Primary Academy | 76% | 5.5% | 38.3% | 445 | 0.4 miles |
| St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth | 67% | 7.5% | 52.9% | 357 | 0.6 miles |
| Queensbridge Primary School | 58% | 6.5% | 39.8% | 246 | 0.6 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.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 25.9%
- English as an additional language
- 17%
- Overall absence
- 6.4%
- Persistent absence
- 20.98%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School0.1 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Cherry Tree Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
The Ferns Primary Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth0.6 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Queensbridge Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Bolton
Other schools in Bolton
Highfield Primary School ranks 42nd 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 Highfield Primary School teach?
- Highfield Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Bolton.
- Who is the headteacher of Highfield Primary School?
- The headteacher of Highfield Primary School is Mr David Glyn-Jones, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Highfield Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Highfield 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 Highfield Primary School?
- Highfield Primary School has 412 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Highfield Primary School full?
- Highfield Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 412 on roll (98%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Highfield Primary School a faith school?
- No. Highfield Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Highfield Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Highfield Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Highfield Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 63% 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 Highfield Primary School rank locally?
- Highfield Primary School ranked 42nd 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 32% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Highfield Primary School's absence rate?
- Highfield Primary School's overall absence rate is 6.4% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Highfield Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Highfield 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 15 July 2026.