St Joseph's RC High School
Secondary · Voluntary aided school · Ages 11–16 · Bolton
St Joseph's RC High School is a secondary school in Bolton for ages 11–16 (voluntary aided school). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Not judged, from the inspection on 18 March 2025. Bolton has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2022 to 2026 entry.
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Key facts
- Address
- Sefton Lane, Horwich, Bolton, BL6 6HW
- Type
- Voluntary aided school
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–16
- Sector
- See recorded establishment type
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Council
- Bolton
- Pupils on roll
- 1,047 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 21.5% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 18
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Not judged Inspected 18 March 2025
Strengths
- “The school fosters a positive culture where pupils feel well cared for and valued.”
- “Pupils know that they have trusted staff that they can go to for support.”
- “Pupils feel safe and are proud to be part of the school community.”
To improve
- “Nonetheless, in key stage 3, the curriculum for some subjects is not designed well enough.”
- “For example, it does not ensure that pupils gain broad and deep enough understanding of the subject content.”
- “This limits how well pupils develop their knowledge in these subjects.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 9 May 2025 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| GCSE English and maths, grade 5 or above (2024/25) | 50% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 44.8 | 46 |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Year 7 entry: 218 first-preference applications, 205 offers in total, 201 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Last distance offered and catchment
A one-off £9.99 pass, no subscription, unlocks for 3 months:
- Last distance offered for Year 7 2022 to 2026, as Bolton published it, drawn on the map
- Earlier years of exam results
- Where pupils go after they leave
- Crime, sold prices, broadband and transport around the school
A last distance offered describes one past year and is not a catchment or a promise of a place. Check with the council before you apply.
Nearby secondary schools
Straight-line distance, in Bolton.
- Rivington and Blackrod High School 1.9 mi Good Last distance published
- Ladybridge High School 2.6 mi Good Last distance published
- Westhoughton High School 2.7 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Smithills School 3.1 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Thornleigh Salesian College 3.6 mi Not judged Last distance published
- University Collegiate School 3.7 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Eden Boys' School, Bolton 3.8 mi School remains Outstanding Last distance published
- Bolton Muslim Girls School 3.9 mi Not judged Last distance published