Bowness Primary School
Primary · Academy sponsor led · Ages 3–11 · Bolton
Last distance offered · Reception 2026
2.923 miles
Published by Bolton Council · offers on 16 April 2026
2022–2025 trend 🔒
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
Bowness Primary School is a primary school in Bolton for ages 3–11 (academy sponsor led). Its latest Ofsted outcome is School remains Good, from the inspection on 6 July 2023. Bolton has published a last distance offered for this school for Reception 2022 to 2026 entry.
Bowness Primary 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 |
|---|---|
| Reception 2026 | 2.923 mi |
| Reception 2025 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2024 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2023 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2022 | 🔒 With a pass |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- In 2024/25, 86% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 62%), and 14% reached the higher standard (England 8%).
- The last child offered a Reception place in 2026 lived 2.923 miles away, the 3rd longest of the 36 Bolton primary schools with a published Reception 2026 last distance.
- That 2026 Reception distance was further from the school than in 2025, and every applicant was offered a place in 3 of the 5 years with a published outcome.
- 2026 Reception entry drew 20 first-choice applications for 20 offers; 16 went to first-choice families, and 4 first-choice families (20%) were not offered a place.
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
- Church Street, Little Lever, Bolton, BL3 1BT
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 3–11
- Council
- Bolton
- Pupils on roll
- 129 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 40.3% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 15.4
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
School remains Good Inspected 6 July 2023
Strengths
- “Bowness Primary School is a warm and welcoming school.”
- “Pupils told inspectors that they value being a member of the ‘Bowness family’.”
- “They treat each other with kindness and respect.”
To improve
- “Despite leaders’ efforts, some pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should.”
- “These pupils sometimes miss out on important learning.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 26 September 2023 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| Key stage 2 · reading, writing and maths, expected standard (2024/25) | 86% | 62% |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Reception entry: 20 first-preference applications, 20 offers in total, 16 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 primary schools
Straight-line distance, in Bolton.
- St Teresa's RC Primary School a Voluntary Academy 0.2 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- St Matthew's CofE Primary School, Little Lever 0.3 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Mytham Primary School 0.6 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Masefield Primary School 0.7 mi School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next Last distance published
- All Saints CofE Primary School 0.8 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Blackshaw Primary School 0.9 mi Not judged Last distance published
- SS Osmund and Andrew's R.C. Primary School 0.9 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- St Gregory's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy 1.0 mi Good