Bolton Primary School
Bolton, Appleby-in-Westmorland, CA16 6AW
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Debbie Tinkler
- Constituency
- Westmorland and Lonsdale
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 60
- Pupils on roll
- 56
- URN
- 112176
- Local authority
- Westmorland and Furness
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01768361511
About this school
Bolton Primary School is a community primary school in Appleby-in-Westmorland. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 56 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 | 13 | 10 | 9 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 54% | 80% | 67% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 10% | 11% |
| Expected standard in reading | 69% | 90% | 78% |
| Expected standard in maths | 62% | 90% | 89% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 92% | 80% | 67% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 109.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 106.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +3.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | 0.00 | - | - |
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 Bolton 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 | Westmorland and Furness average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 54% | 60.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 80% | 57% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 67% | 56.5% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 65 |
| 2023/24 | 64 |
| 2024/25 | 59 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bolton Primary School compares
Bolton Primary School ranked 33rd of 98 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 79% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 67% | 4.2% | 13.6% | 56 | — |
| Long Marton School | 31% | 3.5% | 12% | 81 | 1.9 miles |
| Kirkby Thore School | — | 6.8% | 16.1% | 33 | 1.9 miles |
| Morland Area CofE Primary School | 100% | 3.4% | 7.8% | 119 | 2.6 miles |
| Temple Sowerby CofE Primary School | 75% | 4.8% | 6.5% | 49 | 3.0 miles |
| Appleby Primary School | 50% | 4.8% | 19.8% | 163 | 3.3 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
- 27 June 2023
-
Ungraded inspection report22 January 2020
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 13.56%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 4.23%
- Persistent absence
- 11.11%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Long Marton School1.9 miles
Primary · Appleby-in-Westmorland
-
Kirkby Thore School1.9 miles
Primary · Penrith
-
Morland Area CofE Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Penrith
-
Temple Sowerby CofE Primary School3.0 miles
Primary · Penrith
-
Appleby Primary School3.3 miles
Primary · Appleby-in-Westmorland
Other schools in Appleby-in-Westmorland
- Appleby Primary School Primary
- Asby Endowed School Primary
- Long Marton School Primary
- Warcop CofE Primary School Primary
- Appleby Grammar School Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does Bolton Primary School teach?
- Bolton Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Appleby-in-Westmorland.
- Who is the headteacher of Bolton Primary School?
- The headteacher of Bolton Primary School is Mrs Debbie Tinkler, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Bolton Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bolton 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 Bolton Primary School?
- Bolton Primary School has 56 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Bolton Primary School full?
- Bolton Primary School has capacity for 60 pupils and 56 on roll (93%), 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 Bolton Primary School a faith school?
- No. Bolton Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Bolton Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Bolton Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Bolton Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 54% in 2022/23 and 67% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bolton Primary School rank locally?
- Bolton Primary School ranked 33rd of 98 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 79% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Bolton Primary School's absence rate?
- Bolton Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bolton Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bolton 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.