St Stephen's CofE Primary School
Bent Spur Road, Kearsley, Bolton, BL4 8PB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Andrew Townsend
- Diocese
- Diocese of Manchester
- Constituency
- Bolton South and Walkden
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 183
- URN
- 105240
- Local authority
- Bolton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01204333642
About this school
St Stephen's CofE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Bolton. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 183 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
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 | 30 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 72% | 60% | 53% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 7% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 83% | 77% | 60% |
| Expected standard in maths | 79% | 77% | 73% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 79% | 77% | 60% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.00 | - | - |
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 Stephen's CofE 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 | 60% | 63.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 53% | 63.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 195 |
| 2023/24 | 190 |
| 2024/25 | 186 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Stephen's CofE Primary School compares
St Stephen's CofE Primary School ranked 77th of 89 primary schools in Bolton for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 26% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 54% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 53% | 5.2% | 25.3% | 183 | — |
| Spindle Point Primary School | 74% | 4.7% | 10.5% | 238 | 0.5 miles |
| Kearsley West Primary School | 81% | 5.9% | 30.7% | 236 | 0.7 miles |
| St Saviour CofE Primary School, Ringley | 67% | 4.2% | 5.7% | 206 | 0.7 miles |
| Prestolee Primary School | 77% | 4.4% | 17.6% | 231 | 0.7 miles |
| St John Church of England Primary School, Farnworth | — | 5.6% | 35.7% | 154 | 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.
Inspection history
- 13 June 2023
-
Ungraded inspection report5 February 2020
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 25.27%
- English as an additional language
- 8.6%
- Overall absence
- 5.24%
- Persistent absence
- 11.83%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Spindle Point Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Kearsley West Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
St Saviour CofE Primary School, Ringley0.7 miles
Primary · Manchester
-
Prestolee Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Manchester
-
St John Church of England Primary School, Farnworth0.9 miles
Primary · Bolton
Other schools in Bolton
St Stephen's CofE Primary School ranks 76th 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 Stephen's CofE Primary School teach?
- St Stephen's CofE Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Bolton.
- Who is the headteacher of St Stephen's CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Stephen's CofE Primary School is Mr Andrew Townsend, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Stephen's CofE Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Stephen's CofE 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 big is St Stephen's CofE Primary School?
- St Stephen's CofE Primary School has 183 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Stephen's CofE Primary School full?
- St Stephen's CofE Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 183 on roll (87%), 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 St Stephen's CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Stephen's CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Manchester.
- Does St Stephen's CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Stephen's CofE Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have St Stephen's CofE 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 53% 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 Stephen's CofE Primary School rank locally?
- St Stephen's CofE Primary School ranked 77th of 89 primary schools in Bolton for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 26% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 54% 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 Stephen's CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- St Stephen's CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Stephen's CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Stephen's CofE 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.