Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School
Bridgenorth Drive, Littleborough, OL15 0ES
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Foundation school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Headteacher
- Mrs Antonia Firth
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Rochdale
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 450
- Pupils on roll
- 402
- URN
- 105847
- Local authority
- Rochdale
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01706378083
About this school
Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School is a foundation primary school in Littleborough. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 402 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Smithy Bridge Foundation 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 | 61 | 58 | 59 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 52% | 60% | 59% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 80% | 81% | 78% |
| Expected standard in maths | 66% | 74% | 69% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 70% | 74% | 68% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 103.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.50 | - | - |
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 Smithy Bridge Foundation 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 | Rochdale average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 52% | 55.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 60% | 56.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 59% | 57.6% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 435 |
| 2023/24 | 428 |
| 2024/25 | 411 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School compares
Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School ranked 30th of 55 primary schools in Rochdale for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 38% 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 | 59% | 4.3% | 10.1% | 402 | — |
| St Andrew's Church of England Primary School and Nursery | 76% | 5.2% | 19.2% | 444 | 0.5 miles |
| St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy | — | — | — | 200 | 0.9 miles |
| Alice Ingham Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy | 55% | 7.6% | 54.2% | 117 | 1.0 miles |
| Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School | 71% | 4.9% | 17.1% | 200 | 1.1 miles |
| Kentmere Primary Academy | 71% | 4.2% | 38.5% | 353 | 1.1 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)
- 10.13%
- English as an additional language
- 2.9%
- Overall absence
- 4.33%
- Persistent absence
- 9.2%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Andrew's Church of England Primary School and Nursery0.5 miles
Primary · Rochdale
-
St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy0.9 miles
Primary · Littleborough
-
Alice Ingham Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy1.0 miles
Primary · Rochdale
-
Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Littleborough
-
Kentmere Primary Academy1.1 miles
Primary · Rochdale
Other schools in Littleborough
Common questions
- What ages does Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School teach?
- Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Littleborough.
- Who is the headteacher of Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School?
- The headteacher of Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School is Mrs Antonia Firth, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Smithy Bridge Foundation 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 Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School?
- Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School has 402 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School full?
- Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School has capacity for 450 pupils and 402 on roll (89%), 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 Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School a faith school?
- No. Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 52% in 2022/23 and 59% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School compare with other schools in Rochdale?
- Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School ranked 30th of 55 primary schools in Rochdale for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 38% 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 Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School's absence rate?
- Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Smithy Bridge Foundation 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.