St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth
Hillside Avenue, Farnworth, Bolton, BL4 9QB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- ARCHBISHOP TEMPLE CHURCH OF ENGLAND MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Principal
- Mr Chris Booth
- Diocese
- Diocese of Manchester
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Bolton South and Walkden
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 362
- Pupils on roll
- 357
- URN
- 142944
- Local authority
- Bolton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01204572587
About this school
St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth is a Church of England primary academy in Bolton. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 357 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth, 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
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Outstanding
- 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 | 42 | 44 | 52 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 57% | 45% | 67% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 10% | 9% | 8% |
| Expected standard in reading | 67% | 61% | 79% |
| Expected standard in maths | 69% | 64% | 77% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 62% | 55% | 81% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 102.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 103.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | -3.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.20 | - | - |
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 James CofE Primary School, Farnworth 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 | 57% | 63.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 45% | 63.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 67% | 63.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 358 |
| 2023/24 | 344 |
| 2024/25 | 359 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth compares
St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth ranked 39th of 89 primary schools in Bolton 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 21% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 67% | 7.5% | 52.9% | 357 | — |
| Queensbridge Primary School | 58% | 6.5% | 39.8% | 246 | 0.3 miles |
| The Ferns Primary Academy | 76% | 5.5% | 38.3% | 445 | 0.4 miles |
| Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School | 79% | 4% | 23.8% | 236 | 0.5 miles |
| St Peter's CofE Primary School | 58% | 4.7% | 33.7% | 411 | 0.6 miles |
| Highfield Primary School | 66% | 6.4% | 25.9% | 412 | 0.6 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)
- 52.9%
- English as an additional language
- 26.7%
- Overall absence
- 7.48%
- Persistent absence
- 21.45%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Queensbridge Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
The Ferns Primary Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
St Peter's CofE Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Highfield Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Bolton
Other schools in Bolton
St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth ranks 39th 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 ages does St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth teach?
- St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Bolton.
- Who is the principal of St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth?
- The principal of St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth is Mr Chris Booth, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth, 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 St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth?
- St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth has 357 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth full?
- St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth has capacity for 362 pupils and 357 on roll (99%), 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 James CofE Primary School, Farnworth a faith school?
- Yes. St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Manchester.
- Does St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth as having nursery classes.
- Is St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth part of an academy trust?
- St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth is part of ARCHBISHOP TEMPLE CHURCH OF ENGLAND MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 57% 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 St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth compare with other schools in Bolton?
- St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth ranked 39th of 89 primary schools in Bolton 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 21% 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 James CofE Primary School, Farnworth's absence rate?
- St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth's overall absence rate is 7.5% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth'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 2 July 2026.