Sharples SchoolBolton St Catherine's Academy
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Bolton.
Summary of the comparison
This page compares Sharples School and Bolton St Catherine's Academy in Bolton.
Sharples School scores 74 out of 100 (grade B, strong) and Bolton St Catherine's Academy scores 44 out of 100 (grade D, below average). Sharples School is ahead on our composite score.
Sharples School was judged Good and Bolton St Catherine's Academy was judged the expected standard.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 55.6 for Sharples School and 34.3 for Bolton St Catherine's Academy.
GCSE Attainment 8 has held broadly level at Sharples School (56.1 in 2021-22, 55.6 in 2024-25) and has held broadly level at Bolton St Catherine's Academy (36.1 in 2021-22, 34.3 in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | BoltonSharples School | BoltonBolton St Catherine's Academy | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | B74/100Stronger figure | D44/100 | |
| Local ranking | 3rd of 19 in Bolton Stronger figure | 17th of 19 in Bolton | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Academy converter | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | All-through | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 2-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,214 | 1,003 | |
| Capacity | 1,080 | 1,130 | |
| Location | Bolton, BL1 8SN | Bolton, BL2 4HU | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 55.6 Stronger figure | 34.3 | 46.0 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 61.9% Stronger figure | 18.8% | 45.4% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 82.2% Stronger figure | 45.7% | 64.8% |
| Entering EBacc | 29.1% Stronger figure | 8.0% | 40.5% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.73 Stronger figure | 2.89 | 4.09 |
| Cohort | 247 | 138 | |
| Key Stage 2 (SATs) | |||
| Reading, writing & maths at expected standard | Not reported | 34.0% | 62.0% |
| At higher standard | Not reported | 6.0% | 8.0% |
| Reading average scaled score | Not reported | 100.0 | 106.0 |
| Maths average scaled score | Not reported | 103.0 | 105.0 |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,218 | 1,020 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 29.3% | 53.7% | |
| English as an additional language | 33.7% | 20.8% | |
| SEN support | 9.3% | 22.4% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 3.2% | 5.4% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 5.5% Stronger figure | 9.0% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 11.4% Stronger figure | 24.0% | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Sharples School
Bolton St Catherine's Academy
Full profiles: Sharples School · Bolton St Catherine's Academy