Smithills School
Secondary schoolSmithills School is a secondary school in Bolton, for pupils aged 11 to 16. It had 1,203 pupils at the school census in January 2026.
Ofsted
Latest inspections as at 30 September 2026Report card, March 2026: safeguarding met
- Inspection
- Report card, 31 March 2026
- Safeguarding
- Met
- Inclusion
- Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Needs attention
- Achievement
- Needs attention
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Needs attention
- Early years
- Not applicable
- Post-16 provision
- Not applicable
- Leadership and governance
- Needs attention
Outcomes as Ofsted published them. Report cards (from November 2025) give no overall grade, and grades under different frameworks can’t be compared.
Results
Department for EducationIn 2025/26, the average Attainment 8 score at Smithills School was 41.4, against 45.2 in Bolton and 46.2 in England.
34.5% of its pupils got grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSEs (46.3% in England).
End of secondary school (KS4, GCSEs)
2025/26, provisional| Measure | This school | Bolton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Attainment 8 score | 41.4 | 45.2 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 34.5% | 46.7% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 56.2% | 63.4% | 64.8% |
| Pupils at the end of KS4 | 226 | – | – |
- The 2025/26 figures are provisional. The Department for Education publishes revised ones later in the school year.
- Progress 8 cannot be worked out for 2025/26, because the KS2 tests that give the starting point were cancelled in 2020 and 2021.
- Results reflect the pupils a school admits as well as its teaching, and a year's results can move a lot in a small school.
Schools nearby
In a straight line- Youth Challenge PruPupil referral and alternative provision. School remains Outstanding, July 2024120 m
- St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary. School remains Good, October 2022. 59% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)490 m
- Thornleigh Salesian CollegeSecondary. Graded inspection, October 2024: no overall grade. Attainment 8 of 43.0 (2025/26, provisional)800 m
- Church Road Primary SchoolPrimary. Standards maintained, March 2025. 62% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)910 m
- St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, BoltonPrimary. Standards maintained, November 2024. 61% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)1 km
- St Thomas C of E Primary School, HalliwellPrimary. Report card, March 2026: safeguarding met. 50% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)1.1 km
Admissions and catchments are set by councils and schools, which Open Index doesn’t map. Every school in Bolton
Where these figures come from
- Schools: the school lists of the Department for Education, the Welsh Government and the Scottish Government, with Ofsted’s latest inspections for England.
- Results: the Department for Education’s school performance tables (Open Government Licence).