1
Eden Boys' School, Bolton
Bolton • Greater Manchester • BL1 3QE
1
7 Jul 2017
Top 10 Secondary schools in Bolton
Updated for the latest inspections (median graded year: 2023)
This Top 10 showcases secondary schools in the district of Bolton. It’s built from the latest graded Ofsted inspections. We rank Outstanding (grade 1) above Good (grade 2), then prioritise newer inspections. As tie-breakers, we consider the “Quality of education” sub-judgement (where available), then %FSM and school size.
Total secondary schools
18
Outstanding
1
Good
9
Median inspection year
2023
Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)
O: 7% · G: 60% · RI: 33% · I: 0%
2
Turton School
Bolton • Lancashire • BL7 9LT
2
7 May 2024
3
King's Leadership Academy Bolton
Bolton • BL3 3HL
2
27 Nov 2023
4
Harper Green School
Bolton • Lancashire • BL4 0DH
2
8 Mar 2023
5
St James's Church of England High School
Bolton • Greater Manchester • BL4 9RU
2
12 Dec 2022
6
Ladybridge High School
Bolton • Lancashire • BL3 4NG
2
11 Dec 2022
7
Little Lever School
Bolton • Greater Manchester • BL3 1BT
2
18 May 2022
8
Kearsley Academy
Bolton • Lancashire • BL4 8HY
2
16 May 2022
9
Essa Academy
Bolton • Greater Manchester • BL3 3HH
2
5 Dec 2021
10
Sharples School
Bolton • Lancashire • BL1 8SN
2
30 Sep 2013
How we rank these schools
- Headline Ofsted grade: Outstanding (1) outranks Good (2), then RI (3), then Inadequate (4).
- More recent graded inspection dates rank higher.
- Where available, we use the Quality of education sub-judgement as a tie-breaker.
- Lower free school meals (%) may break remaining ties.
- Larger roll (pupil count) is a final tie-breaker.
Only the ten highest-ranked schools are shown; we also list “near misses” just below.
About Ofsted grades
- Outstanding (1): Highest judgement across key areas.
- Good (2): Strong effectiveness; meets standards consistently.
- Requires improvement (3): Not yet good; clear areas to improve.
- Inadequate (4): Significant weaknesses found.
Ungraded Section 8 visits check whether the previous graded judgement still stands, but they don’t replace it.
Data freshness & coverage
We refresh inspections and school snapshots regularly. If a school was inspected very recently, its report may not yet appear here.
Top-10 pages only appear for areas with at least 10 secondary schools that have a graded Ofsted inspection.
Map of the Top 10
Also highly rated nearby
- Mount St Joseph RC High School a Voluntary Academy 3 • Dec 2023
- Smithills School 3 • Oct 2023
- Westhoughton High School 3 • Jun 2023
- St Joseph's RC High School 3 • Mar 2023
- Bolton Muslim Girls School 3 • Feb 2023
- Canon Slade School Not judged • Nov 2024
- Thornleigh Salesian College Not judged • Nov 2024
- University Collegiate School Not judged • Nov 2024