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Bowness Primary School

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Academy sponsor led in Bolton, BL3 1BT, taking ages 3 to 11, 129 on roll.

No current grade Ofsted
2.923 mi Admitted from, varies
83% Full
86.0% Met the expected standard, 2024/25

Will an address get in?

In the varies round, the furthest-away child offered a place at Bowness Primary School lived 2.923 miles away, according to Bolton. Put a postcode in and it is measured against that distance.

Applying for September 2027? Primary applications close on 15 January 2027, with offers on 16 April 2027. The address on the deadline is the one the council uses. How it works.

The circle is 2.923 miles, the distance the school admitted from in varies. Real admission areas are not circular: this is the distance, not a boundary.

This is not a catchment area. Most English schools do not have one. When Bowness Primary School is oversubscribed, places go outward from the school until they run out, so the distance moves each year with how many families applied and where they lived. 2.923 miles was last year's outcome, not a boundary and not a promise.

What kind of school this is

Religious characterNo religious character
Sixth formDoes not have a sixth form
How full 129 pupils in 156 places (83% full)
TrustPRESTOLEE MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
Local authorityBolton

Department for Education register (GIAS).

How the school is doing

Meeting the expected standard 86.0% in reading, writing and maths (2024/25)
YearMeeting the expected standard
2024/25 86.0%
2023/24 68.0%
2022/23 56.0%

Ofsted, and the Department for Education's published performance data.

Who goes to Bowness Primary School

Girls and boys61.2% girls, 38.8% boys
English as an additional language15.5% of pupils
Free school meals40.3% of pupils eligible

DfE school census, most recent published year.

What it costs to live within reach of Bowness Primary School

The postcode districts whose centre falls inside the 2.923 miles the school admitted from in varies, cheapest first, by the median of real sales around each district's centre. The cheapest is BL3 at £128,500; the dearest, BL11, £205,000. A district is wide, so check the address itself, not the list.

DistrictAreaFrom the schoolMedian sold price
BL3 Bolton 2.0 mi £128,500 41 sales
M26 Bury 2.0 mi £135,000 111 sales
BL4 Bolton 1.3 mi £143,000 73 sales
BL78 Bolton 1.1 mi £148,000 79 sales
M38 Salford 2.6 mi £160,000 70 sales
BL2 Bolton 1.9 mi £182,000 84 sales
BL11 Bolton 1.9 mi £205,000 12 sales

Sold prices from HM Land Registry, via each district's area guide. Districts without enough recorded sales to rank are not shown.

The fee-paying alternative

Weighing Bowness Primary School against the independent sector? Every fee-paying school around BL3: ages, selection, and how full each one is →

Checking the house as well as the school

The full report measures the distance from every nearby school to one address, alongside sold prices, flood risk, crime and the other checks on the same house.

Common questions

What is the catchment area for Bowness Primary School?

Bowness Primary School does not have one in the sense most people mean. Like most English schools, an oversubscribed year offers places outward from the school until they run out. The nearest thing to an answer: the furthest child admitted in varies lived 2.923 miles away, per Bolton.

How close do I need to live to get a place at Bowness Primary School?

Nobody can say in advance, and anyone who does is guessing. 2.923 miles was enough in varies. The distance moves every year with the number of applications, so treat last year's figure as evidence, not a promise.

Does buying a house near Bowness Primary School guarantee a place?

No. Admission criteria usually put looked-after children, siblings ahead of distance, so places can be filled before distance is reached. Councils also check that the address is genuinely where the child lives.

Every Bolton school's distance

All Bolton schools with a published admission distance, tightest first →
How school admissions actually work, and what the distance means →

Admission distance published by Bolton. School details from the Department for Education's register, ratings from Ofsted. Read how every figure on this site is sourced on the methodology page. If something here looks wrong, tell us and it goes on the accuracy log.