St Bede AcademyEssa Primary Academy
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Bolton.
Summary of the comparison
St Bede Academy and Essa Primary Academy are primary schools in Bolton.
St Bede Academy scores 57 out of 100 (grade C, average) and Essa Primary Academy scores 53 out of 100 (grade D, below average). St Bede Academy is ahead on our composite score.
St Bede Academy was judged Good and Essa Primary Academy was judged the expected standard.
On the share of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at Key Stage 2, the latest published figures are 49.0% for St Bede Academy and 66.0% for Essa Primary Academy.
The share of pupils meeting the expected standard at Key Stage 2 has fallen at St Bede Academy (64.0% in 2022-23, 49.0% in 2024-25) and has risen at Essa Primary Academy (35.0% in 2022-23, 66.0% in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | BoltonSt Bede Academy | BoltonEssa Primary Academy | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C57/100Stronger figure | D53/100 | |
| Local ranking | 62nd of 92 in Bolton Stronger figure | 75th of 92 in Bolton | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Academy converter | Free schools | |
| Phase | Primary | Primary | |
| Age range | 3-11 | 4-11 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 610 | 387 | |
| Capacity | 630 | 420 | |
| Location | Bolton, BL3 3LJ | Bolton, BL3 3HH | |
| Key Stage 2 (SATs) | |||
| Reading, writing & maths at expected standard | 49.0% | 66.0% Stronger figure | 62.0% |
| At higher standard | 1.0% | 3.0% Stronger figure | 8.0% |
| Reading average scaled score | 103.0 | 103.0 | 106.0 |
| Maths average scaled score | 105.0 Stronger figure | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 660 | 406 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 27.8% | 43.8% | |
| English as an additional language | 29.4% | 68.5% | |
| SEN support | 12.0% | 14.5% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 2.6% | 3.0% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 5.9% | 5.7% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 16.1% | 15.6% Stronger figure | 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.
KS2: expected standard in reading, writing and maths
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.
St Bede Academy
Essa Primary Academy
Full profiles: St Bede Academy · Essa Primary Academy