St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton
Brookfold Lane, Harwood, Bolton, BL2 4DZ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mrs Fiona Brindley
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salford
- Constituency
- Bolton North East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 199
- URN
- 105246
- Local authority
- Bolton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01204333133
About this school
St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, 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. 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
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
A short monitoring inspection followed on : inspectors found that standards have been maintained.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 31 | 30 | 31 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 65% | 50% | 55% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 13% | 10% | 13% |
| Expected standard in reading | 77% | 63% | 74% |
| Expected standard in maths | 84% | 60% | 71% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 77% | 73% | 74% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 102.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 101.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.00 | - | - |
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 Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, 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 | 65% | 63.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 50% | 63.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 55% | 63.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 2.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 207 |
| 2023/24 | 202 |
| 2024/25 | 204 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton compares
St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton ranked 73rd of 89 primary schools in Bolton for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 30% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 99% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 55% | 2.8% | 12.8% | 199 | — |
| Hardy Mill Primary School | 69% | 4.1% | 9.9% | 316 | 0.3 miles |
| Harwood Meadows Primary School | 62% | 5.3% | 20.3% | 224 | 0.5 miles |
| St Maxentius CofE Primary School | 61% | 4.9% | 15% | 185 | 0.6 miles |
| St Columba's RC Primary School | 69% | 6% | 30.4% | 235 | 1.0 miles |
| Red Lane Primary School | 63% | 7.4% | 62.8% | 475 | 1.2 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
-
Ungraded inspection report11 December 2024
- 8 January 2020
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 12.75%
- English as an additional language
- 1%
- Overall absence
- 2.84%
- Persistent absence
- 2.26%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Hardy Mill Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Harwood Meadows Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
St Maxentius CofE Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
St Columba's RC Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Red Lane Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Bolton
Other schools in Bolton
St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton ranks 72nd 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 Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton teach?
- St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Bolton.
- Who is the headteacher of St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton?
- The headteacher of St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton is Mrs Fiona Brindley, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, 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 Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton?
- St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton has 199 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton full?
- St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, 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 Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton a faith school?
- Yes. St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Salford.
- Does St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton as having no nursery classes.
- How have St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 65% in 2022/23 and 55% 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 Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton rank locally?
- St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton ranked 73rd of 89 primary schools in Bolton for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 30% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 99% 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 Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton's absence rate?
- St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton's overall absence rate is 2.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, 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.