St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton

  • Primary
  • Local authority maintained
  • Ages 4 to 11
Ofsted: Good

Brookfold Lane, Harwood, Bolton, BL2 4DZOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)

St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton is a primary school in Bolton for ages 4 to 11. It is one of the 142 schools in Bolton. It ranks 54th of 86 primary schools in Bolton. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in January 2020.

Ofsted inspection

Inspected 8 January 2020, report published 26 February 2020

Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Good
Early years provision
Good
Safeguarding
Met

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 December 2024

Pupils are very proud to attend this happy and welcoming school. Pupils relish the rich opportunities that the school provides to broaden their horizons and learn about the wider world. Most pupils thrive due to the strong relationships that exist with staff. Pupils spoke very fondly about Maple, the school's therapy dog. Pupils know that Maple, the staff and the 'well-being ambassadors' help them to feel better if they are sad or upset. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make an exceptional contribution to school life. They carry out their many leadership responsibilities, for example as planet protectors and digital leaders, with great diligence and pride. Pupils regularly carry out work to support others. For instance, pupils organise many fundraising initiatives to raise money for various charities and other worthy causes. Pupils proudly rise to meet the school's very high expectations for their behaviour. Pupils' conduct embodies the school's motto, 'Love Life, Love Learning. Achieve Together in God's Love'. The school has designed a varied and engaging curriculum which interests and inspires pupils to do their best. Most pupils, including those with SEND, live up to the school's high expectations for their learning. They mostly achieve well in a range of subjects.

What the school should improve

  • In a few subjects, the key concepts that pupils should revisit over time have not been identified or emphasised well enough. In addition, the checks that staff make on pupils' knowledge do not always ensure that pupils are effectively building on earlier learning. This hinders some pupils in developing detailed knowledge in these subjects. The school should ensure that further refinements to these subject curriculums support pupils to deepen their learning in the longer term.
  • Support for pupils with SEND is not always as effective or as timely as it could be. This means that, on occasions, pupils do not learn as well as they could. The school should ensure that its systems for supporting pupils with SEND are consistently effective so that these pupils progress well through the curriculum.

Exam results

SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25

31 pupils took the tests

Expected standard in reading, writing and maths55%

55%, 7 percentage points below the England average of 62%.

Higher standard in reading, writing and maths13%

13%, 5 percentage points above the England average of 8%.

Reading, average scaled score105

105, 1 below the England average of 106.

Maths, average scaled score102

102, 3 below the England average of 105.

Grammar, punctuation and spelling, average scaled score104

104, 1 below the England average of 105.

Pupil numbers and mix

199 pupils on roll, with places for 210

Eligible for free school meals14.1%

14.1%, 12.4 percentage points below the England average of 26.5%.

English as an additional language0.5%

0.5%, 21.1 percentage points below the England average of 21.6%.

Special educational needs support10.6%

10.6%, 4.2 percentage points below the England average of 14.8%.

Education, health and care plan3%

3%, 3 percentage points below the England average of 6%.

Schools near St Brendan's RC Primary School, Harwood, Bolton

SchoolDistanceOfstedResults
Hardy Mill Primary School0.3 milesOfsted: Good69% met the expected standard
Harwood Meadows Primary School0.5 milesReport card: Expected standard62% met the expected standard
St Maxentius CofE Primary School0.6 milesOfsted: Good61% met the expected standard
St Columba's RC Primary School1 mileOfsted: Good69% met the expected standard
Red Lane Primary School1 mileOfsted judgements: Good to outstanding63% met the expected standard

School details

School type
Voluntary aided school
Sector
Local authority maintained
Age range
4 to 11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic
Nursery classes
No
Headteacher
Mrs Fiona Brindley
Address
Brookfold Lane, Harwood, Bolton, BL2 4DZ
Local authority
Bolton
URN
105246

School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.