School profile

St Columba's RC Primary School

Primary · Voluntary aided school · Bolton, BL2 3AR

Good

Map showing St Columba's RC Primary School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#5,648 of 15,057

Better than 62% of schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

St Columba's RC Primary School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 10 Apr 2024

Ofsted rating
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeVoluntary aided school
Ages3 to 11
Pupils235
GenderMixed
Religious characterRoman Catholic
Head teacherMrs Sarah Deary
Local authorityBolton
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 105220.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolBoltonEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths69%, better than England, better than Bolton64%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.7%, similar to England, worse than Bolton10%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.106, similar to England, similar to Bolton105106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.108, better than England, better than Bolton105105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.109, better than England, better than Bolton106105
Expected standard in reading79%, similar to England, better than Bolton75%76%
Expected standard in writing69%, worse than England, worse than Bolton74%73%
Expected standard in maths93%, better than England, better than Bolton77%75%
Pupils taking tests29--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils235
Girls122
Boys113
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.32.3%
First language not English16.2%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.210
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.207
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.1.4%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.53
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.9
Average class size29.4

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
63.4%
Other White
8.5%
Other mixed
7.2%
Other ethnic group
6%
African
5.5%
Other Black
2.6%
White and Black African
1.7%
Other Asian
1.7%
White and Asian
0.4%
Pakistani
0.4%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher20.9
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.9.3
Teachers (FTE)10.75
Teaching assistants (FTE)13.44
Support staff (FTE)16.48
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2510.6
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/257.8
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/251
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/251.8

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.30
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.40
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.28
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.28
Applications from another local authority (Reception)1

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolBoltonEngland
Overall absence4.9%, similar to England, similar to Bolton5.1%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.12.7%, similar to England, similar to Bolton13.7%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.1.1%, similar to England, similar to Bolton0.9%1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate0.4%
Pupils with one or more suspensions0.4%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near St Columba's RC Primary School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.1 miSecondaryCanon Slade SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.4 miPrimaryCastle Hill Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.6 miPrimarySharples Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.7 miPrimarySt Maxentius CofE Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.7 miSecondarySharples SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.9 miPrimarySt Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley BridgeAcademy converter
Outstanding
0.9 miPrimaryTonge Moor Primary AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.9 miPrimaryThe Oaks Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.9 miNot applicableMadrasatul Imam Muhammad ZakariyaOther independent school
Good
1.0 miSecondaryTurton SchoolCommunity school
Good

Frequently asked questions about St Columba's RC Primary School

What is St Columba's RC Primary School's Ofsted rating?

St Columba's RC Primary School is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected on 10 Apr 2024.

How does St Columba's RC Primary School rank in England?

St Columba's RC Primary School ranks 5,648 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (better than 62% of schools).

What are St Columba's RC Primary School's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 69% of pupils at St Columba's RC Primary School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into St Columba's RC Primary School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, St Columba's RC Primary School made 30 offers from 40 applications (1.3 per offer), and 28 of 28 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend St Columba's RC Primary School?

St Columba's RC Primary School has 235 pupils aged 3 to 11.

What is the capacity of St Columba's RC Primary School?

St Columba's RC Primary School had 210 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at St Columba's RC Primary School?

At St Columba's RC Primary School, the average class had 29.4 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 20.9 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at St Columba's RC Primary School?

In 2025/26, pupils at St Columba's RC Primary School missed 4.9% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 12.7% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.