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State secondary · 11 to 16 · Mixed · 1,203 pupils

Smithills School

Smithills Dean Road, Bolton, BL1 6JS
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COULD YOUR CHILD GET IN? · YEAR 7 2027

Enter your postcode to see how far it is from your home.

Bolton Council publishes no last distance offered for this school in the years we hold (2022 to 2026). Check your postcode for the distance from your home.

Free, no account needed. Your postcode is used for this check and not kept.
Ofsted report card · March 2026(18/19)Fewer first choices than places (2026)
School website ↗Google Maps ↗Directions ↗Ofsted reports ↗DfE results ↗Government register ↗

Summary

The key facts, in one place
GCSE (key stage 4) The league rank: the school's place among its council's schools of the same phase on the newest year's DfE results, the same rank as on the Schools map. In England: 2,415th of 3,223 on the same figure. Band: Lower half.
(18/19)Rank among 19 Bolton secondaries with results, 2026 results (Attainment 8)
See the Bolton league table →
Inspection
Ofsted report card, March 2026
Results
-0.04 progress 8; 41.4 attainment 8
Size
1,203 pupils; 226 places a year; classes of 25
Run by
The Bolton Impact Trust
Type
Academy converter
Ages
11 to 16 · Mixed
Ofsted, March 2026The judgements from the school's latest inspection. Reports from November 2025 use Ofsted's new report card, with different headings; we show whichever the latest report uses.Read the report ↗
AchievementNeeds attention
Curriculum and teachingNeeds attention
Attendance and behaviourExpected standard
Personal development and wellbeingNeeds attention
Leadership and governanceNeeds attention
InclusionExpected standard
Safeguarding standardsMet
Strengths, and things to check
  • Progress 8: -0.04, against +0.08 in Bolton.
  • Attainment 8: 41.4, against 46.4 in Bolton.
  • English and maths, grade 5+: 34%, against 48% in Bolton.
  • Sessions missed: 9.4%, against 7.9% in Bolton.
Schools for usRank every school near you by the measures that matter to your family, each reason shown.Rank schools →

At a glance

Against Bolton and England
This schoolBoltonEnglandHover or tap a bar for the figures
Academic
Progress 8How far pupils progressed between the end of primary school and GCSEs, against pupils across England who started at the same level. 0 is average; +0.5 means half a grade better in each subject.
-0.04
Worse than Bolton
Attainment 8The average GCSE score across eight subjects, including English and maths counted twice. A grade 5 in all eight would score 50.
41.4
Worse than Bolton
English and maths, grade 5+The share of pupils with grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE (a strong pass).
34%
Worse than Bolton
Attendance and behaviour
Sessions missedHalf-day sessions missed, authorised or not, as a share of all sessions in the school year (DfE pupil absence). Lower is better.
9.4%
Worse than Bolton
Persistently absentPupils who missed one session in ten or more. Lower is better.
28.2%
Worse than Bolton
Suspensions per 100 pupilsSuspensions in the school year for every 100 pupils on roll. Lower is better; one or two incidents move a small school a lot.
63.1
Worse than Bolton
Pupils and classes
Average class sizeAverage pupils per class, from the school census. Shown for context, not as a score.
25.4
Context
Free school mealsPupils eligible for free school meals. Context for reading the results, not a measure of the school.
42%
Context
Pupils for each teacherPupils on roll for each full-time teacher, from the school workforce census. Shown for context.
16.8
Context
Demand for places
First choices per placeFamilies who put this school first, for each Year 7 place in 2026 (DfE applications and offers). Above 1 means more first choices than places.
0.6
Less sought after than Bolton
Bolton and England: DfE's own averages for results. For the rest, the middle state secondary school of the same phase, from every school we hold, since DfE publishes no council figure we hold.Where these figures come from →

Overview

Getting in

  • 127 families put it first for 226 places; every one of them got in DfE, school applications and offers · Year 7 2026
  • We hold no catchment map for this school, so we can't say which addresses are inside it.

Quality

  • Ofsted report card (Achievement: Needs attention; Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention; Attendance and behaviour: Expected standard; Personal development and wellbeing: Needs attention; Leadership and governance: Needs attention; Inclusion: Expected standard; Safeguarding standards: Met) Ofsted · inspected 31 March 2026
  • Progress 8: -0.04 (England +0.01) (county +0.08) DfE school performance tables · 2023/2024
  • Attainment 8: 41.4 (England 47.4) (county 46.4) DfE school performance tables · 2025/2026
  • English and maths grade 5 or above: 34% (England 48%) (county 48%) DfE school performance tables · 2025/2026
  • Progress, set against pupils who started with the same results: average DfE school performance tables · 2023/2024

Daily life

  • Absence: 9.4% of sessions missed; 28% of pupils miss 1 in 10 or more. Schools with a similar intake: 9.7% and 29% DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England: absence rates by school level · 2024/25
  • Suspensions: 63 per 100 pupils (schools with a similar intake: 26); 8 permanent exclusions DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England: school level · 2024/25
  • Classes average 25.4 pupils; 2.6% of classes have more than 30 DfE, school workforce and pupil census · 2025/26
  • 16.8 pupils for each teacher DfE, school workforce · November 2025
  • Nearest stops, in a straight line: bus 32 m DfT, NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes) · within 800 m
  • 8 police-reported road collisions within 500 m (1 fatal, 1 serious) DfT, Road safety data (STATS19): collisions and casualties, last five years · 2021 to 2025
  • Air: nitrogen dioxide 9.0 µg/m³, PM2.5 6.5 (1 km square, background level) DEFRA, Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) 1 km background maps · 2024

Who runs it

  • The Bolton Impact Trust, with 6 schools DfE, Get Information about Schools: group links · joined September 2025
  • Opened as an academy (converter) on 1 January 2014 DfE, open academies list
  • Replaced Smithills School (URN 105260) DfE, Get Information about Schools: links · 1 January 2014
  • We can't compare results before and after it converted: we hold results for only one side of the date, because DfE publishes a few years at a time.

Getting in

How far offers reached

How far away the last child offered a place under the distance rule lived, as the council measures it. It changes every year with who applies: a record, not a promise. Children with a higher priority can be offered places from further away.

Year 7. Distance of the last child offered a place on offer day. What the last distance means →

Offer day, year by year

EntryYearPlacesApplicationsOfferedRefusedLast distance (miles)
Year 72026250370250——
Year 72025250472270——
Year 72024250427260——
Year 72023250437250——
Year 72022250412250——

Source: Council offer-day figures: Bolton Council, 2022 to 2026. A dash is a figure the council does not publish, not nought. Distances are straight lines from the school.

Applications and offers, DfE

EntryYearPlacesFirst choicesAny choiceFirst choices offered
Year 72026226127342127
Year 72025268156400156
Year 72024252139404139
Year 72023259159422159
Year 72022239153395153
Year 72021237133387133
Year 72020227149382149
Year 72019197126333126
Year 72018206102294102
Year 72017218108316108

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school level, Open Government Licence), 2014 to 2026. Families name up to three schools, so most applications are somebody's second or third choice.

Could you get in?Enter a home or postcode: we set it against every year's last offer and this school's rules.

Results

Results

MeasureThis schoolEnglandCouncilYear
Progress 8-0.04+0.01+0.082023/2024
Attainment 841.447.446.42025/2026
English and maths grade 5 or above34%48%48%2025/2026

Source: DfE school performance tables, 2023/2024, 2025/2026.

League table place

TableLeague rank
GCSE (key stage 4)(18/19)

Source: DfE school performance tables: the newest year's results, place among the council's schools of the same phase.

Inspections

DateKindOutcome
31 March 2026Report card7 areas graded
19 September 2023Graded inspectionRequires improvement

Source: Ofsted, 2026.

Where leavers go

StageLeavers inPupilsIn a sustained placeOf which
After GCSEs2023/2420788%In education 86%; Apprenticeship 0.0%; Employment 2.4%
After GCSEs2022/2317187%In education 78%; Apprenticeship 4.1%; Employment 4.7%
After GCSEs2021/2217288%In education 86%; Apprenticeship 1.2%; Employment 1.2%

Source: DfE, destination measures. A figure DfE hides for a small group is left out, not shown as nought. The newest year may be provisional.

Bolton league tableEvery school of this phase in the council on these results.See the table →

Daily life

Absence

YearSessions missedAuthorisedUnauthorisedPupils missing 1 in 10Pupils missing 1 in 2
2024/259.4%5.2%4.2%28%3.9%
2023/2410%4.8%5.5%31%3.6%
2022/2310%5.2%4.8%32%3.4%
Schools with a similar intake9.7%29%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England: absence rates by school level, 2024-25. Similar intake: state schools of the same phase with free school meals in the same band (40% or more), the median of 758 schools.

Suspensions and exclusions

YearSuspensions per 100 pupilsPupils suspendedSuspensionsPermanent exclusions
2024/2563.112%7588
2023/2468.914%82012
2022/2323.38.6%2578
Schools with a similar intake25.9

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England: school level, 2024-25.

Class sizes and staff

MeasureFigureYear
Average class size25.42025/26
Classes over 30 pupils2.6%2025/26
Pupils for each teacher16.8November 2025

Source: DfE, school workforce; school census, 2025/26.

Stops nearby

KindNearest (metres, straight line)
bus32

Source: DfT, NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes), current. A stop across a railway or main road may be a long walk. Bus frequency is not held.

Road collisions within 500 m

YearCollisions
20250
20240
20231
20223
20214

Source: DfT, Road safety data (STATS19): collisions and casualties, last five years, 2021 to 2025. 1 serious and 1 fatal in all; 2 involved a pedestrian, 0 a cyclist. Only collisions with an injury reported to police are counted.

Air quality

PollutantAnnual mean (µg/m³)Year
NO29.02024
PM1010.22024
PM256.52024

Source: DEFRA, Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) 1 km background maps. A 1 km background figure: not the air at the school gate beside a busy road.

Pupils

Who goes there

MeasureShare of pupilsYear
Eligible for free school meals42%2025/26
First language other than English61%2025/26
SEN support12%2025/26
Education, health and care plan1.8%2025/26
Girls52%2025/26

Source: DfE, schools, pupils and their characteristics; special educational needs, 2025/26.

Who runs it

Who runs it

  • The Bolton Impact Trust, with 6 schools DfE, Get Information about Schools: group links · joined September 2025
  • Opened as an academy (converter) on 1 January 2014 DfE, open academies list
  • Replaced Smithills School (URN 105260) DfE, Get Information about Schools: links · 1 January 2014
  • We can't compare results before and after it converted: we hold results for only one side of the date, because DfE publishes a few years at a time.

Area

Homes in reach of this schoolLook up any home near here: its sales, an open-data valuation, and which schools it keeps in reach.Search homes →

Sources

  • Council offer-day figures: Bolton Council
  • DEFRA, Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) 1 km background maps
  • DfE school performance tables
  • DfE school performance tables: the newest year's results, place among the council's schools of the same phase
  • DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school level, Open Government Licence)
  • DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England: absence rates by school level
  • DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England: school level
  • DfE, destination measures
  • DfE, school workforce; school census
  • DfE, schools, pupils and their characteristics; special educational needs
  • DfT, NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes)
  • DfT, Road safety data (STATS19): collisions and casualties, last five years
  • Ofsted
  • School register: DfE Get Information about Schools (this school)
  • How we check these figures: How we know

More in schools in Bolton and the Bolton league table. School register: DfE Get Information about Schools, updated 17 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources are named beside each figure. How we know · All sources.