St Thomas of Canterbury RC School
Eastbourne Grove, Heaton, Bolton, BL1 5LH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mrs Marie Kwiatkowski
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salford
- Constituency
- Bolton West
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 410
- URN
- 105221
- Local authority
- Bolton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01204333131
About this school
St Thomas of Canterbury RC School is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided primary school in Bolton. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 410 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 5 October 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 | 60 | 54 | 60 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 73% | 61% | 52% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 13% | 19% | 8% |
| Expected standard in reading | 80% | 67% | 67% |
| Expected standard in maths | 88% | 78% | 87% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 78% | 65% | 72% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.20 | - | - |
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 Thomas of Canterbury RC 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 | 73% | 63.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 61% | 63.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 52% | 63.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 411 |
| 2023/24 | 417 |
| 2024/25 | 415 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Thomas of Canterbury RC School compares
St Thomas of Canterbury RC School ranked 78th of 89 primary schools in Bolton for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 24% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 52% | 4.5% | 15.4% | 410 | — |
| Devonshire Road Primary School | 68% | 5.5% | 27.8% | 415 | 0.2 miles |
| Church Road Primary School | 62% | 6% | 25.6% | 445 | 0.5 miles |
| Markland Hill Primary School | 77% | 4.2% | 5.1% | 315 | 0.6 miles |
| Oxford Grove Primary School | 80% | 4.6% | 61.2% | 449 | 0.7 miles |
| St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton | 61% | 6.2% | 42.2% | 220 | 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)
- 15.42%
- English as an additional language
- 11.6%
- Overall absence
- 4.49%
- Persistent absence
- 10.27%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Devonshire Road Primary School0.2 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Church Road Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Markland Hill Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Oxford Grove Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton0.7 miles
Primary · Bolton
Other schools in Bolton
St Thomas of Canterbury RC School ranks 77th 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 Thomas of Canterbury RC School teach?
- St Thomas of Canterbury RC School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Bolton.
- Who is the headteacher of St Thomas of Canterbury RC School?
- The headteacher of St Thomas of Canterbury RC School is Mrs Marie Kwiatkowski, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Thomas of Canterbury RC School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Thomas of Canterbury RC 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 St Thomas of Canterbury RC School?
- St Thomas of Canterbury RC School has 410 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Thomas of Canterbury RC School full?
- St Thomas of Canterbury RC School has capacity for 420 pupils and 410 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 St Thomas of Canterbury RC School a faith school?
- Yes. St Thomas of Canterbury RC School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Salford.
- Does St Thomas of Canterbury RC School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Thomas of Canterbury RC School as having no nursery classes.
- How have St Thomas of Canterbury RC School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 73% in 2022/23 and 52% 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 Thomas of Canterbury RC School rank locally?
- St Thomas of Canterbury RC School ranked 78th of 89 primary schools in Bolton for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 24% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% 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 Thomas of Canterbury RC School's absence rate?
- St Thomas of Canterbury RC School's overall absence rate is 4.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Thomas of Canterbury RC School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Thomas of Canterbury RC 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.