St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton
Kentford Road, Halliwell, Bolton, BL1 2JL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Anna Lister
- Diocese
- Diocese of Manchester
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Bolton North East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 424
- URN
- 105205
- Local authority
- Bolton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01204333005
About this school
St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Bolton. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 424 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 8 March 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. 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 | 61 | 54 | 58 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 38% | 46% | 47% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 2% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 48% | 61% | 64% |
| Expected standard in maths | 56% | 69% | 69% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 59% | 61% | 64% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 99.0 | 102.0 | 101.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 99.0 | 102.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.10 | - | - |
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 St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton 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 | 38% | 63.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 46% | 63.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 47% | 63.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 442 |
| 2023/24 | 436 |
| 2024/25 | 448 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton compares
St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton ranked 82nd of 89 primary schools in Bolton for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 18% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 27% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 47% | 6.8% | 43.3% | 424 | — |
| The Olive School, Bolton | 95% | 3.9% | 18.1% | 422 | 0.2 miles |
| Gaskell Community Primary School | 79% | 3.9% | 38.9% | 472 | 0.3 miles |
| The Valley Community Primary School | 83% | 3.2% | 19.4% | 538 | 0.3 miles |
| Brownlow Fold Primary School | 53% | 4.8% | 35% | 232 | 0.4 miles |
| St Thomas C of E Primary School, Halliwell | 50% | 5.6% | 31.9% | 366 | 0.5 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)
- 43.32%
- English as an additional language
- 79.2%
- Overall absence
- 6.8%
- Persistent absence
- 19.83%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Olive School, Bolton0.2 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Gaskell Community Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
The Valley Community Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Brownlow Fold Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
St Thomas C of E Primary School, Halliwell0.5 miles
Primary · Bolton
Other schools in Bolton
St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton ranks 81st 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 St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton teach?
- St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Bolton.
- Who is the headteacher of St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton?
- The headteacher of St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton is Mrs Anna Lister, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton, 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 St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton?
- St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton has 424 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton full?
- St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton has capacity for 420 pupils and 424 on roll (101%), 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 St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton a faith school?
- Yes. St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Manchester.
- Does St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton as having nursery classes.
- How have St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 38% in 2022/23 and 47% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton rank locally?
- St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton ranked 82nd of 89 primary schools in Bolton for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 18% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 27% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton's absence rate?
- St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton's overall absence rate is 6.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Bolton'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.