Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #2 in Bolton public Top 8% UK

Sharples School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMs Ann Webster

corporate_fareSHARPLES SCHOOL A MULTI ACADEMY TRUST

location_onBolton, BL1 8SN

language Visit Website phone 1204333253

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2019

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Students

1,198

trending_up

Attainment 8

55.6

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GCSE Rank

#1 in Bolton

#428 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Sharples School is a Academy converter secondary school in Bolton, serving ages 11-16. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.4×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Sharples School is an academy converter in Bolton, admitting pupils aged 11-16. It is part of SHARPLES SCHOOL A MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 1,218 pupils on roll, of whom 29% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 55.6, placing the school #1 in Bolton and #428 of 3,216 nationally. 61.90% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 32.2% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2019. The school's current overall rating is Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.4× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 15.9:1. There is 1 teaching vacancy.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there was 1 permanent exclusion. The average suspension rate was 1.6 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

55.6

Grade 5+ E&M

61.90%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)32.2%

Entering EBacc29.10%

EBacc APS4.73

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.86

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc19.50%

EBacc APS4.71

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.82

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc28%

EBacc APS4.76

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.64

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc18%

EBacc APS4.64

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc32%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.52

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

55.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc29%

EBacc APS4.79

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.43

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

49.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc51%

EBacc APS4.39

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)89%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)85%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)86%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)89%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)88%

Apprenticeships6%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

07 January 2025

Inspection Report

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08 May 2019

Inspection Report

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04 June 2016

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2019-05-08

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2013-09-10

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2011-01-27

None EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

1.6%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.2%(15 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

1pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,218 pupils. During this period, there were 20 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 1.6%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,218	20	1.6%	7.3%	1
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,217	18	1.5%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,216	22	1.8%	7.4%	1
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,209	17	1.4%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,207	25	2.1%	8.2%	2
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,190	16	1.3%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,198	15	1.3%	6.4%	2
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,194	14	1.2%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,165	20	1.7%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,166	16	1.4%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,155	16	1.4%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,079	20	1.9%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,078	0	0.0%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,082	13	1.2%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,041	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,041	5	0.5%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,036	2	0.2%	4.2%	1
2018/19 (Summer term)	947	8	0.8%	3.1%	1
2018/19 (Spring term)	941	1	0.1%	3.8%	1
2018/19 (Autumn term)	953	4	0.4%	3.8%	1
2017/18 (Summer term)	863	6	0.7%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	856	9	1.1%	3.0%	1
2017/18 (Autumn term)	852	16	1.9%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	754	11	1.5%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	740	8	1.1%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	741	14	1.9%	3.1%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Speech, Language & Communication 33 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 30 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 28 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 16 pupils

Physical Disability 10 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 9 pupils

Hearing Impairment 5 pupils

Visual Impairment 5 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 2 pupils