St Columba's RC Primary School
Ripley Street, Tonge Moor, Bolton, BL2 3AR
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mrs Sarah Deary
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salford
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Bolton North East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 235
- URN
- 105220
- Local authority
- Bolton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01204333421
About this school
St Columba's RC Primary School is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided primary school in Bolton. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 235 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Columba's RC 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 29 | 28 | 29 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 72% | 68% | 69% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 3% | 4% | 7% |
| Expected standard in reading | 76% | 86% | 79% |
| Expected standard in maths | 79% | 93% | 93% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 79% | 89% | 93% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 107.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.10 | - | - |
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 Columba's RC 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 | 72% | 63.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 68% | 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 | 5.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 233 |
| 2023/24 | 238 |
| 2024/25 | 236 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Columba's RC Primary School compares
St Columba's RC Primary School ranked 35th 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 38% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 69% | 6% | 30.4% | 235 | — |
| Castle Hill Primary School | 67% | 6.9% | 57.3% | 220 | 0.4 miles |
| Sharples Primary School | 66% | 4.8% | 21.3% | 245 | 0.6 miles |
| St Maxentius CofE Primary School | 61% | 4.9% | 15% | 185 | 0.7 miles |
| St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge | 79% | 4.2% | 30.8% | 251 | 0.8 miles |
| Tonge Moor Primary Academy | 44% | 6.6% | 55.8% | 472 | 0.9 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)
- 30.43%
- English as an additional language
- 16.5%
- Overall absence
- 6.02%
- Persistent absence
- 15.47%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Castle Hill Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Sharples Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
St Maxentius CofE Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge0.8 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Tonge Moor Primary Academy0.9 miles
Primary · Bolton
Other schools in Bolton
St Columba's RC Primary School ranks 36th 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 St Columba's RC Primary School teach?
- St Columba's RC Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Bolton.
- Who is the headteacher of St Columba's RC Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Columba's RC Primary School is Mrs Sarah Deary, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Columba's RC Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Columba's RC 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 St Columba's RC Primary School?
- St Columba's RC Primary School has 235 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Columba's RC Primary School full?
- St Columba's RC Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 235 on roll (112%), 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 Columba's RC Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Columba's RC Primary School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Salford.
- Does St Columba's RC Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Columba's RC Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have St Columba's RC Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 72% 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 St Columba's RC Primary School compare with other schools in Bolton?
- St Columba's RC Primary School ranked 35th 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 38% 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 Columba's RC Primary School's absence rate?
- St Columba's RC Primary School's overall absence rate is 6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Columba's RC Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Columba's RC 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.