St Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton
Wendover Drive, Ladybridge, Bolton, BL3 4RX
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mrs Kirstin Taylor
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salford
- Constituency
- Bolton West
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 199
- URN
- 105230
- Local authority
- Bolton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01204652147
About this school
St Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided primary school in Bolton. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 199 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 30 November 2022, 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 | 30 | 33 | 32 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 57% | 64% | 72% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 18% | 9% |
| Expected standard in reading | 70% | 76% | 84% |
| Expected standard in maths | 67% | 79% | 78% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 70% | 79% | 84% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 106.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.40 | - | - |
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 Bernard's RC 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 | 57% | 63.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 64% | 63.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 72% | 63.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 208 |
| 2023/24 | 202 |
| 2024/25 | 192 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton compares
St Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton ranked 29th of 89 primary schools in Bolton for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 72% | 4.3% | 9.9% | 199 | — |
| Beaumont Primary School | 84% | 4.5% | 10.8% | 220 | 0.0 miles |
| Ladybridge Community Primary School | 69% | 6.1% | 20.9% | 359 | 0.2 miles |
| St Mary's CofE Primary School, Deane | 66% | 7.8% | 42.2% | 448 | 0.5 miles |
| Lostock Primary School | — | — | — | 213 | 0.7 miles |
| Haslam Park Primary School | 74% | 5.3% | 54.1% | 306 | 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)
- 9.9%
- English as an additional language
- 6.8%
- Overall absence
- 4.34%
- Persistent absence
- 9.34%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Beaumont Primary School0.0 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Ladybridge Community Primary School0.2 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
St Mary's CofE Primary School, Deane0.5 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Lostock Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Haslam Park Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Bolton
Other schools in Bolton
St Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton ranks 30th 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 Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton teach?
- St Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Bolton.
- Who is the headteacher of St Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton?
- The headteacher of St Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton is Mrs Kirstin Taylor, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Bernard's RC 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 Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton?
- St Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton has 199 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton full?
- St Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton has capacity for 210 pupils and 199 on roll (95%), 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 Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton a faith school?
- Yes. St Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Salford.
- Does St Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton as having no nursery classes.
- How have St Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 57% in 2022/23 and 72% 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 Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton rank locally?
- St Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton ranked 29th of 89 primary schools in Bolton for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% 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 Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton's absence rate?
- St Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton's overall absence rate is 4.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Bernard's RC Primary School, Bolton's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Bernard's RC 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.