Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Gisburn Road, Bolton-by-Bowland, Clitheroe, BB7 4NP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Joanne Abram
- Diocese
- Diocese of Blackburn
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Ribble Valley
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 58
- Pupils on roll
- 25
- URN
- 119688
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01200447632
About this school
Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Clitheroe. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 25 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
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Requires improvement
- Early years
- Requires improvement
- 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 | 9 | 6 | 3 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 89% | 67% | - |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 33% | 0% | - |
| Expected standard in reading | 100% | 67% | - |
| Expected standard in maths | 89% | 83% | - |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 100% | 83% | - |
| Average scaled score in reading | 110.0 | 106.0 | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 105.0 | - |
| Reading progress | +2.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.10 | - | - |
| 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 Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 | Lancashire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 89% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 67% | 58.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | — | 58.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 3.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 40 |
| 2023/24 | 35 |
| 2024/25 | 29 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 4.8% | 7.4% | 25 | — |
| Gisburn Primary School | 94% | 3.3% | 6.6% | 140 | 2.5 miles |
| Grindleton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 14% | 8.2% | 16.2% | 29 | 2.9 miles |
| Chatburn Church of England Primary School | 65% | 2.6% | 10.2% | 132 | 3.5 miles |
| Waddington and West Bradford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 55% | 5.3% | 4.4% | 200 | 4.7 miles |
| Clitheroe Pendle Primary School | 68% | 3.2% | 7.5% | 349 | 5.1 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.
Inspection history
- 28 November 2023
-
Ungraded inspection report3 February 2022
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 7.41%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 4.81%
- Persistent absence
- 7.14%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Gisburn Primary School2.5 miles
Primary · Clitheroe
-
Grindleton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Clitheroe
-
Chatburn Church of England Primary School3.5 miles
Primary · Clitheroe
-
Waddington and West Bradford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School4.7 miles
Primary · Clitheroe
-
Clitheroe Pendle Primary School5.1 miles
Primary · Clitheroe
Other schools in Clitheroe
- Barrow URC Primary School Primary
- Chatburn Church of England Primary School Primary
- Clitheroe Brookside Primary School Primary
- Clitheroe Pendle Primary School Primary
- Edisford Primary School Primary
- Gisburn Primary School Primary
- Grindleton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Slaidburn Brennands Endowed Primary School Primary
- St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe Primary
- St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Hurst Green Primary
- St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Sabden Primary
- St Michael and St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School teach?
- Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Clitheroe.
- Who is the headteacher of Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- The headteacher of Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is Mrs Joanne Abram, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has 25 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School full?
- Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has capacity for 58 pupils and 25 on roll (43%), 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 by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Blackburn.
- Does Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 89% in 2022/23 and 67% in 2023/24. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's absence rate?
- Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 30 June 2026.