Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School
Bolton-on-Swale, Richmond, DL10 6AQ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Nicola Dobson
- Diocese
- Diocese of Leeds (ce)
- Constituency
- Richmond and Northallerton
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 99
- Pupils on roll
- 105
- URN
- 121604
- Local authority
- North Yorkshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01748818401
About this school
Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Richmond. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 105 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE 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. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- 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 | 12 | 16 | 15 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 83% | 81% | 87% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 42% | 0% | 13% |
| Expected standard in reading | 83% | 88% | 93% |
| Expected standard in maths | 92% | 94% | 93% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 92% | 81% | 100% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 110.0 | 108.0 | 111.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 112.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +4.40 | - | - |
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-On-Swale St Mary'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 | North Yorkshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 83% | 56.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 81% | 58.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 87% | 59.2% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 3.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 110 |
| 2023/24 | 108 |
| 2024/25 | 107 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School compares
Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School ranked 14th of 233 primary schools in North Yorkshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 95% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 97% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 87% | 3.3% | 8.4% | 105 | — |
| Michael Syddall Church of England Aided Primary School | 79% | 3.4% | 26.6% | 153 | 1.1 miles |
| Brompton-on-Swale Church of England Primary School | 50% | 2.9% | 15.6% | 186 | 2.0 miles |
| Colburn Community Primary School | 36% | 6.5% | 50.6% | 202 | 3.2 miles |
| North and South Cowton Community Primary School | — | 4.2% | 0% | 14 | 3.3 miles |
| Catterick Garrison, Le Cateau Community Primary School | 38% | 4.8% | 15.5% | 424 | 4.1 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
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 8.41%
- English as an additional language
- 3.7%
- Overall absence
- 3.27%
- Persistent absence
- 5.21%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Michael Syddall Church of England Aided Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Richmond
-
Brompton-on-Swale Church of England Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Richmond
-
Colburn Community Primary School3.2 miles
Primary · Catterick Garrison
-
North and South Cowton Community Primary School3.3 miles
Primary · Northallerton
-
Catterick Garrison, Le Cateau Community Primary School4.1 miles
Primary · Catterick Garrison
Other schools in Richmond
Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School ranks 2nd of the 9 ranked primary schools in Richmond.
- Barton Church of England Primary School Primary
- Brompton-on-Swale Church of England Primary School Primary
- Eppleby Forcett Church of England Primary School Primary
- Gunnerside Methodist Primary School Primary
- Melsonby Methodist Primary School Primary
- Michael Syddall Church of England Aided Primary School Primary
- Middleton Tyas Church of England Primary School Primary
- Ravensworth Church of England Primary School Primary
- Reeth Community Primary School Primary
- Richmond Methodist Primary School Primary
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy Primary
- Trinity Academy Richmond Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School teach?
- Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Richmond.
- Who is the headteacher of Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School is Mrs Nicola Dobson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bolton-On-Swale St Mary'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 many pupils are at Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School?
- Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School has 105 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School full?
- Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School has capacity for 99 pupils and 105 on roll (106%), so it is at or above 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-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Leeds (ce).
- Does Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 83% in 2022/23 and 87% 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-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School compare with other schools in North Yorkshire?
- Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School ranked 14th of 233 primary schools in North Yorkshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 95% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 97% 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-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bolton-On-Swale St Mary'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 30 June 2026.