Hardy Mill Primary School
Hardy Mill Road, Harwood, Bolton, BL2 4EF
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Head teacher
- Mrs Jo Briggs
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Bolton North East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 356
- Pupils on roll
- 316
- URN
- 105189
- Local authority
- Bolton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01204333770
About this school
Hardy Mill Primary School is a community primary school in Bolton. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 316 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Hardy Mill Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 27 November 2024, 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 | 44 | 40 | 45 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 70% | 53% | 69% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 11% | 5% | 9% |
| Expected standard in reading | 82% | 73% | 87% |
| Expected standard in maths | 77% | 65% | 80% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 89% | 80% | 76% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 105.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.10 | - | - |
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 Hardy Mill 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 | 53% | 63.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 69% | 63.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 333 |
| 2023/24 | 320 |
| 2024/25 | 319 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Hardy Mill Primary School compares
Hardy Mill Primary School ranked 32nd of 89 primary schools in Bolton for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 63% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 69% | 4.1% | 9.9% | 316 | — |
| St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton | 55% | 2.8% | 12.8% | 199 | 0.3 miles |
| Harwood Meadows Primary School | 62% | 5.3% | 20.3% | 224 | 0.3 miles |
| St Maxentius CofE Primary School | 61% | 4.9% | 15% | 185 | 0.8 miles |
| Red Lane Primary School | 63% | 7.4% | 62.8% | 475 | 1.0 miles |
| St Columba's RC Primary School | 69% | 6% | 30.4% | 235 | 1.1 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)
- 9.86%
- English as an additional language
- 3.1%
- Overall absence
- 4.07%
- Persistent absence
- 6.64%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton0.3 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Harwood Meadows Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
St Maxentius CofE Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Red Lane Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
St Columba's RC Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Bolton
Other schools in Bolton
Hardy Mill Primary School ranks 33rd 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 ages does Hardy Mill Primary School teach?
- Hardy Mill Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Bolton.
- Who is the head teacher of Hardy Mill Primary School?
- The head teacher of Hardy Mill Primary School is Mrs Jo Briggs, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Hardy Mill Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Hardy Mill 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 many pupils are at Hardy Mill Primary School?
- Hardy Mill Primary School has 316 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Hardy Mill Primary School full?
- Hardy Mill Primary School has capacity for 356 pupils and 316 on roll (89%), so it has space against 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 Hardy Mill Primary School a faith school?
- No. Hardy Mill Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Hardy Mill Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Hardy Mill Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Hardy Mill 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 69% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Hardy Mill Primary School compare with other schools in Bolton?
- Hardy Mill Primary School ranked 32nd of 89 primary schools in Bolton for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 63% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Hardy Mill Primary School's absence rate?
- Hardy Mill Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Hardy Mill Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Hardy Mill 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.