St James's Church of England High School
Secondary · Academy converter · Ages 11–16 · Bolton
St James's Church of England High School is a secondary school in Bolton for ages 11–16 (academy converter). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Good, from the inspection on 2 November 2022. Bolton has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2026 entry.
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Key facts
- Address
- Lucas Road, Farnworth, Bolton, BL4 9RU
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–16
- Sector
- See recorded establishment type
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Council
- Bolton
- Pupils on roll
- 1,053 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 20.1% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 16.2
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Good Inspected 2 November 2022
Strengths
- “Leaders and staff at St James Church of England High School have extremely high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and achievement.”
- “Pupils get the care and support they need to overcome challenges and strive for excellence.”
- “Pupils are motivated to work hard by teachers.”
To improve
- “Elsewhere, some pupils are yet to benefit from this new, more refined curriculum.”
- “In these cases, pupils learn well but they are not as consistently secure in what they know and remember as they are in other subjects.”
- “However, this is not fully implemented across all year groups in all subjects.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 13 December 2022 (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) | 58% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 53.5 | 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: 315 first-preference applications, 197 offers in total, 193 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 2026, as Bolton published it, drawn on the map
- Earlier years of applications and offers
- 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.
- Harper Green School 0.4 mi Good Last distance published
- Mount St Joseph RC High School a Voluntary Academy 0.7 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- King's Leadership Academy Bolton 1.1 mi Good Last distance published
- Kearsley Academy 1.4 mi Good Last distance published
- Essa Academy 1.4 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Bolton Muslim Girls School 1.7 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Little Lever School 1.8 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- University Collegiate School 2.1 mi Not judged Last distance published