St James's Church of England High School
Lucas Road, Bolton, BL4 9RU
1,053 pupils · 100% of 1,050 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11–16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Trust
- THE BISHOP FRASER TRUST
- Local authority
- Bolton
- Free school meals
- 20.1%
Ofsted
Good (2022) — Rated under the pre-September 2024 inspection system
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 2 November 2022, published 12 December 2022. 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 | 53.5 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 57.5% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 81.6% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 38.2% |
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 — 1.6 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 197 | 315 | 732 | 197 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 200 | 359 | 806 | 199 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 198 | 358 | 816 | 198 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 207 | 355 | 872 | 207 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 204 | 306 | 862 | 204 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 209 | 376 | 905 | 209 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 204 | 366 | 934 | 204 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 220 | 379 | 998 | 220 |
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
- Harper Green School 0.7 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- Mount St Joseph RC High School a Voluntary Academy 1.1 km · Requires improvement (2023) · previous system
- King's Leadership Academy Bolton 1.8 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- Star Salford Academy 2 km · No Ofsted rating
- Kearsley Academy 2.2 km · Good (2022) · previous system
- Essa Academy 2.3 km · Most areas: Strong standard (2026)
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.