# Smithills School

Smithills 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.

Secondary school. Code E140500. [Bolton](https://openindex.co.uk/bolton)

- Phase: Secondary
- Type: Academy converter
- Ages: 11 to 16
- Pupils: 1,203
- Council: Bolton
- URN: 140500

## Latest Ofsted outcome

Report 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
Edition: Latest inspections as at 30 September 2026
Outcomes as Ofsted published them. Report cards (from November 2025) give no overall grade, and grades under different frameworks cannot be compared.

## Results

Source: Department for Education school performance tables (Open Government Licence).

In 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

Distances are in a straight line. Admissions and catchments are set by councils and schools.

- [Youth Challenge Pru](https://openindex.co.uk/school/youth-challenge-pru-e142758): 120 m. Pupil referral and alternative provision. School remains Outstanding, July 2024
- [St Peter's Smithills Dean Church of England Primary School](https://openindex.co.uk/school/st-peters-smithills-dean-church-of-england-primary-school-e145751): 490 m. Primary. School remains Good, October 2022. 59% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)
- [Thornleigh Salesian College](https://openindex.co.uk/school/thornleigh-salesian-college-e105264): 800 m. Secondary. Graded inspection, October 2024: no overall grade. Attainment 8 of 43.0 (2025/26, provisional)
- [Church Road Primary School](https://openindex.co.uk/school/church-road-primary-school-e105152): 910 m. Primary. Standards maintained, March 2025. 62% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)
- [St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton](https://openindex.co.uk/school/st-josephs-rc-primary-school-halliwell-bolton-e105223): 1 km. Primary. Standards maintained, November 2024. 61% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)
- [St Thomas C of E Primary School, Halliwell](https://openindex.co.uk/school/st-thomas-c-of-e-primary-school-halliwell-e105218): 1.1 km. Primary. Report card, March 2026: safeguarding met. 50% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)

## Sources and further information

- [Schools: methods, licences and inspection sources](https://openindex.co.uk/sources/schools)
- [Get Information about Schools](https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Establishment/Details/140500)
- [Ofsted reports](https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/140500)

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/school/smithills-school-e140500, or to one figure with its anchor, https://openindex.co.uk/school/smithills-school-e140500#sc-results.

Open Index's own text and the figures it works out are licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Source data keeps its publishers' licences, named with each figure. Give each figure's period and source with it.

Snapshot 2026.10.9. The HTML page: https://openindex.co.uk/school/smithills-school-e140500