Smithills School
Secondary · Academy converter · Ages 11–16 · Bolton
Last distance offered · Year 7 2026
Every applicant was offered a place
From Bolton Council · offers on 2 March 2026
2022–2025 trend 🔒
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
Smithills School is a secondary school in Bolton for ages 11–16 (academy converter). Bolton has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2022 to 2026 entry.
Smithills School catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Year 7 2026 | Every applicant was offered a place |
| Year 7 2025 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Year 7 2024 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Year 7 2023 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Year 7 2022 | 🔒 With a pass |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- Every applicant was offered a Year 7 place in 2026, as was the case at 1 of the 18 other Bolton secondary schools with a published Year 7 2026 outcome.
- For Year 7 2026 there were 127 first-choice applications for 226 offers; every first-choice family was offered a place, and 99 offers went to families who ranked it second or lower.
- In 2024/25, 20% got grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths (England 45%), the lowest of 9 schools: this one and the 8 nearest secondary schools in Bolton.
- The school has 16.8 pupils per teacher, against a middle figure of 15.6 across the 8 nearest secondary schools in Bolton.
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Bolton schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- Smithills Dean Road, Smithills School, Bolton, BL1 6JS
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–16
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- Bolton
- Pupils on roll
- 1,203 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 41.9% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 16.8
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
No Ofsted grade Inspected 31 March 2026
Strengths
- “Smithills School is a warm and nurturing environment, where a diverse mixture of pupils are well cared for by staff.”
- “Pupils trust staff and report feeling safe.”
- “They are happy to ask for help from staff if they need to.”
To improve
- “Too many pupils do not achieve well enough at this school.”
- “This includes disadvantaged pupils, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those known or previously known to social care.”
- “However, pupils do not typically receive high-quality teaching across all subjects.”
Safeguarding: met
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 8 June 2026 (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) | 20% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 36.5 | 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: 127 first-preference applications, 226 offers in total, 127 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby secondary schools
Straight-line distance, in Bolton.
- Thornleigh Salesian College 0.5 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Eden Boys' School, Bolton 0.9 mi School remains Outstanding Last distance published
- Sharples School 1.4 mi Improved significantly Last distance published
- University Collegiate School 1.9 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Canon Slade School 1.9 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Turton School 2.1 mi Good Last distance published
- Bolton Muslim Girls School 2.3 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Ladybridge High School 2.4 mi Good Last distance published