St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School
Limefield Road, Smithills, Bolton, BL1 6LA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- FORWARD AS ONE CHURCH OF ENGLAND MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Matthew Harding
- Diocese
- Diocese of Manchester
- Sponsor
- Forward As One Church of England Multi Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Bolton West
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 218
- Pupils on roll
- 215
- URN
- 145751
- Local authority
- Bolton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01204333500
About this school
St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Bolton. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 215 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 19 October 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 32 | 32 | 32 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 63% | 72% | 59% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 22% | 19% | 16% |
| Expected standard in reading | 81% | 94% | 69% |
| Expected standard in maths | 78% | 91% | 69% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 72% | 81% | 69% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 108.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 107.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.40 | - | - |
| 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 St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England 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 | Bolton average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 63% | 63.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 72% | 63.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 59% | 63.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 3.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 215 |
| 2023/24 | 213 |
| 2024/25 | 215 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School compares
St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School ranked 64th of 89 primary schools in Bolton 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 85% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 59% | 4% | 8.8% | 215 | — |
| Johnson Fold Community Primary School | — | — | — | — | 0.7 miles |
| Church Road Primary School | 62% | 6% | 25.6% | 445 | 0.7 miles |
| St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton | 61% | 6.2% | 42.2% | 220 | 0.9 miles |
| Oxford Grove Primary School | 80% | 4.6% | 61.2% | 449 | 1.0 miles |
| St Thomas C of E Primary School, Halliwell | 50% | 5.6% | 31.9% | 366 | 1.0 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)
- 8.84%
- English as an additional language
- 8.8%
- Overall absence
- 3.98%
- Persistent absence
- 6.95%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Johnson Fold Community Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Church Road Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton0.9 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Oxford Grove Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
St Thomas C of E Primary School, Halliwell1.0 miles
Primary · Bolton
Other schools in Bolton
St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School ranks 64th 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 Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School teach?
- St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Bolton.
- Who is the headteacher of St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School is Mr Matthew Harding, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England 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 St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School?
- St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School has 215 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School full?
- St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School has capacity for 218 pupils and 215 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 Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Manchester.
- Does St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Is St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School part of an academy trust?
- St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School is part of FORWARD AS ONE 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 Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 63% 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 St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in Bolton?
- St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School ranked 64th of 89 primary schools in Bolton 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 85% 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 Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England 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 10 July 2026.