Sharples School
Hill Cot Road, Bolton, BL1 8SN
1,214 pupils · 112% of 1,080 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11–16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Does not apply
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Trust
- SHARPLES SCHOOL A MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Local authority
- Bolton
- Free school meals
- 27.5%
Ofsted
Improved significantly (2025) — Ungraded inspection — “Improved significantly” (no overall grade issued)
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 8 January 2025, published 5 February 2025. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 55.6 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 61.9% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 82.2% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 29.1% |
Progress 8 is not published nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26 while KS2 baselines are missing (no SATs in 2020/21). It returns from 2026/27.
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Oversubscribed — 1.46 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 235 | 344 | 826 | 235 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 234 | 355 | 821 | 234 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 241 | 328 | 793 | 241 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 238 | 305 | 775 | 238 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 240 | 304 | 778 | 240 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 238 | 272 | 781 | 238 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 237 | 280 | 745 | 237 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 232 | 251 | 635 | 232 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- Turton School 1.1 km · Good (2024) · previous system
- Canon Slade School 1.2 km · No overall grade (2024)
- Thornleigh Salesian College 1.4 km · No overall grade (2024)
- Eden Boys' School, Bolton 1.8 km · Outstanding — confirmed 2023 · previous system
- Smithills School 2.2 km · Most areas: Needs attention (2026)
- University Collegiate School 3.9 km · No overall grade (2024)
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.