Ofsted: Requires improvement trending_up Places Available emoji_events #19 in Bolton public Top 43% UK

Bolton St Catherine's Academy

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

personMs Rachael Lucas

corporate_fareTHE BISHOP FRASER TRUST

location_onBolton, BL2 4HU

language Visit Website phone 1204332533

verified

Ofsted

Requires improvement

Inspected 2025

groups

Students

1,061

trending_up

Attainment 8

34.3

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#19 in Bolton

#3,054 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Bolton St Catherine's Academy is a Academy converter secondary school in Bolton, serving ages 3-16. Currently Requires Improvement according to Ofsted — the school is working to raise standards.

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School Summary

Bolton St Catherine's Academy is an academy converter in Bolton, admitting pupils aged 3-16. It is part of THE BISHOP FRASER TRUST. The school has approximately 1,020 pupils on roll, of whom 54% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 34.3, placing the school #19 in Bolton and #3,054 of 3,216 nationally. 18.80% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 5.1% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

In 2025, 34% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 6% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #95 of 19 primaries in Bolton and #13,838 of 3,216 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2025. The school's current overall rating is Requires improvement. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Requires improvement, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.7× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 16.1:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 5 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 21.0 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

34.3

Grade 5+ E&M

18.80%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)5.1%

Entering EBacc8.00%

EBacc APS2.89

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.71

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc9.30%

EBacc APS2.88

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.58

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

34.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc5%

EBacc APS2.76

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.75

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

36.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc10%

EBacc APS2.97

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc2%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-1.32

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

29.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc9%

EBacc APS2.52

2018

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc-%

EBacc APS-

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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

78%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)73%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)16%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

86%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)77%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment7%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)13%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

85%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)74%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)15%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

88%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)81%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)11%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

83%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)73%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment7%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)15%

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

34%

LA 63%

Reading50% LA 75%

Writing69% LA 73%

Maths66% LA 75%

Read SS

100

Maths SS

103

GPS SS

100

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

52%

LA 63%England 61%

Reading63% LA 75% · Eng 74%

Writing69% LA 73% · Eng 72%

Maths81% LA 76% · Eng 73%

Read SS

102

Maths SS

104

GPS SS

104

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

60%

LA 63%England 60%

Reading65% LA 74% · Eng 73%

Writing74% LA 74% · Eng 71%

Maths77% LA 77% · Eng 73%

Read SS

102

Maths SS

105

GPS SS

105

Progress (0 = national avg)

0.9

Read

LA 0.3

-0.8 to 2.6

3.8

Write

LA 1.2

2.1 to 5.4

4.2

Maths

LA 1.1

2.7 to 5.8

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

60%

LA 64%England 65%

Reading63% LA 70% · Eng 73%

Writing70% LA 79% · Eng 78%

Maths90% LA 78% · Eng 79%

Read SS

103

Maths SS

107

GPS SS

108

Progress (0 = national avg)

2.0

Read

LA 0.2

-0.3 to 4.3

-1.1

Write

LA 1.0

-3.2 to 1.0

5.5

Maths

LA 0.9

3.5 to 7.5

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

LA 64%

Reading-% LA 73%

Writing-% LA 78%

Maths-% LA 76%

Read SS

Maths SS

GPS SS

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

LA 0.2

Write

LA 0.7

Maths

LA 0.7

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

11 March 2025

Inspection Report

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27 September 2022

Inspection Report

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04 May 2018

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2025-03-11

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2022-09-27

S5 Inspection EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Requires improvement

Development

Good

Leadership

Requires improvement

2016-05-11

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2014-03-05

None EIF

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

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

Suspension Rate

27.0%per term

warning Above Average

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

10.7%(109 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

5pupils

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 1,020 pupils. During this period, there were 275 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 27.0%, which is above 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)	1,020	275	27.0%	7.3%	5
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,018	154	15.1%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,061	245	23.1%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,051	472	44.9%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,066	755	70.8%	8.2%	1
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,083	411	38.0%	6.6%	5
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,061	386	36.4%	6.4%	3
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,053	258	24.5%	5.9%	2
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,053	227	21.6%	4.7%	5
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,046	142	13.6%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,030	237	23.0%	4.4%	4
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,105	131	11.9%	3.6%	3
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,087	59	5.4%	1.0%	1
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,078	163	15.1%	3.9%	3
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,134	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,134	127	11.2%	3.2%	3
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,139	170	14.9%	4.2%	10
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,141	128	11.2%	3.1%	1
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,137	223	19.6%	3.8%	3
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,151	114	9.9%	3.8%	5
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,141	59	5.2%	3.4%	1

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.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 83 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 82 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 51 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 40 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 20 pupils

Hearing Impairment 3 pupils

Physical Disability 2 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 1 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

67.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

74.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

11.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree30%

agree29%

disagree15%

strongly disagree21%

don't know5%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree26%

agree38%

disagree18%

strongly disagree18%

don't know1%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree29%

agree11%

disagree13%

strongly disagree24%

don't know3%

not applicable20%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes24%

no76%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree30%

agree13%

disagree17%

strongly disagree30%

dont know9%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree31%

agree37%

disagree14%

strongly disagree7%

don't know10%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree35%

agree34%

disagree19%

strongly disagree11%

don't know1%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree34%

agree38%

disagree19%

strongly disagree9%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree35%

agree47%

disagree8%

strongly disagree4%

don't know5%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree35%

agree44%

disagree6%

strongly disagree6%

don't know8%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree30%

agree27%

disagree19%

strongly disagree15%

don't know9%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes57%

no43%

Top Secondary Schools in Bolton

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

Bolton Muslim Girls School

Requires improvement

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Sharples School

Good

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emoji_events #2 in LA

Eden Boys' School, Bolton

Outstanding

location_on Bolton, BL1 3QE

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St James's Church of England High School

Good

location_on Bolton, BL4 9RU

emoji_events #4 in LA

Canon Slade School

Requires improvement

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emoji_events #5 in LA

Essa Academy

Good

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emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in Bolton arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Faith Priority (Church of England)

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary Admission Trends

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Bolton

Bolton Muslim Girls School

Sharples School

Eden Boys' School, Bolton

St James's Church of England High School

Canon Slade School

Essa Academy