Beacon Primary School
Peter Martin Street, Horwich, Bolton, BL6 7AL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- FORWARD AS ONE CHURCH OF ENGLAND MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Ms Debra Meekings
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Forward As One Church of England Multi Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Bolton West
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 220
- Pupils on roll
- 209
- URN
- 146535
- Local authority
- Bolton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01204333545
About this school
Beacon Primary School is a primary academy in Bolton. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 209 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Beacon 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
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 | 21 | 27 | 25 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 48% | 52% | 36% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 10% | 7% | 4% |
| Expected standard in reading | 57% | 63% | 68% |
| Expected standard in maths | 76% | 63% | 52% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 62% | 56% | 52% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 102.0 | 103.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 101.0 | 99.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.70 | - | - |
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 Beacon 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 | 48% | 63.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 52% | 63.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 36% | 63.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 184 |
| 2023/24 | 198 |
| 2024/25 | 220 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Beacon Primary School compares
Beacon Primary School ranked 87th of 89 primary schools in Bolton for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 9% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 11% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 36% | 9% | 65.2% | 209 | — |
| Horwich Parish CofE Primary School | 73% | 3.9% | 18.6% | 300 | 0.4 miles |
| St Catherine's CofE Primary School | 62% | 3.8% | 21.6% | 237 | 0.6 miles |
| St Mary's RC Primary School | 56% | 4.7% | 15.2% | 214 | 1.0 miles |
| Chorley New Road Primary Academy | 60% | 5.3% | 24.7% | 316 | 1.0 miles |
| Blackrod Primary School | 78% | 3.3% | 9.3% | 311 | 1.5 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)
- 65.24%
- English as an additional language
- 21.8%
- Overall absence
- 9.04%
- Persistent absence
- 31.11%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Horwich Parish CofE Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
St Catherine's CofE Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
St Mary's RC Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Horwich, Bolton
-
Chorley New Road Primary Academy1.0 miles
Primary · Bolton
-
Blackrod Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Bolton
Other schools in Bolton
Beacon Primary School ranks 86th of the 88 ranked primary schools in Bolton.
- All Saints CofE 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
- Cherry Tree Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Beacon Primary School teach?
- Beacon Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Bolton.
- Who is the headteacher of Beacon Primary School?
- The headteacher of Beacon Primary School is Ms Debra Meekings, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Beacon Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Beacon 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 Beacon Primary School?
- Beacon Primary School has 209 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Beacon Primary School full?
- Beacon Primary School has capacity for 220 pupils and 209 on roll (95%), 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 Beacon Primary School a faith school?
- No. Beacon Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Beacon Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Beacon Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Beacon Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Beacon 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 Beacon Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 48% in 2022/23 and 36% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Beacon Primary School compare with other schools in Bolton?
- Beacon Primary School ranked 87th of 89 primary schools in Bolton for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 9% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 11% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Beacon Primary School's absence rate?
- Beacon Primary School's overall absence rate is 9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Beacon Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Beacon 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.