Bolton Muslim Girls School
Academy converter · 774 pupils
90% stayed in education · Attainment 8 54.7
Voluntary aided school
St Joseph's RC High School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,047of 1,050 places
- Free school meals
- 21.5%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 207
- Ofsted
- Inspected, 18 March 2025Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
St Joseph's RC High School has no sixth form. Of the 203 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 24% moved to a sixth form college, 59% to a further education college and 3% started an apprenticeship.
Religious Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 98% of the year group took it, against 31% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 44.8 against 46.1 across England and 45.7 in Bolton, with 50% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
As an 11–16 school, St Joseph's RC High School is judged on where pupils go at 16 rather than on A level results.
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Bolton and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | St Joseph's RC High School | Bolton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 203 | 3,886 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 95% | 90% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 87% | 84% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 3% | 12% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 24% | 25% | 13% |
| — further education college | 59% | 45% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 3% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | St Joseph's RC High School | Bolton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 44.8 | 45.7 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 50% | 44% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 70% | 65% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 41% | 33% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.99 | 3.95 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 19% | 32% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 28.5 | 36.6 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 48.7 | 49.8 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 18% | 29% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 203 | 98% | 89% | 12% | 20% | 72% |
| Religious Studies | 203 | 98% | 31% | 13% | 32% | 58% |
| Mathematics | 203 | 98% | 88% | 17% | 22% | 77% |
| English Literature | 200 | 97% | 86% | 15% | 21% | 81% |
| Combined Science | 173 | 84% | 65% | 1% | 9% | 53% |
| Geography | 113 | 55% | 41% | 19% | 25% | 64% |
| History | 105 | 51% | 41% | 16% | 26% | 57% |
| Spanish | 71 | 34% | 19% | 20% | 27% | 70% |
| Art and Design | 46 | 22% | 7% | 15% | 24% | 48% |
| Design and Technology | 38 | 18% | 11% | 16% | 23% | 45% |
| Biology | 31 | 15% | 23% | 39% | 45% | 97% |
| Physics | 31 | 15% | 23% | 35% | 46% | 97% |
| Chemistry | 31 | 15% | 23% | 42% | 47% | 97% |
| Business Studies | 25 | 12% | 18% | 0% | 20% | 44% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 20 | 10% | 8% | 15% | 21% | 85% |
| Drama | 17 | 8% | 7% | 0% | 27% | 71% |
| French | 12 | 6% | 18% | 33% | 29% | 50% |
| Music | 10 | 5% | 5% | 30% | 33% | 70% |
| Urdu | 3 | 1% | 1% | — | 42% | — |
| Italian | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Arabic | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Russian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Chinese | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
| Portuguese | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports / Movement Science | 47 | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 28 | — | — |
| Health Studies | 23 | — | — |
| Speech and Drama | 12 | — | — |
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | 8 | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Bolton
Bolton St Catherine's Academy
Academy converter · 1,003 pupils
73% stayed in education · Attainment 8 34.3
Canon Slade School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,724 pupils
91% stayed in education · Attainment 8 53.9
Eden Boys' School, Bolton
Free schools · 621 pupils
94% stayed in education · Attainment 8 53.0
Essa Academy
Academy sponsor led · 1,055 pupils
91% stayed in education · Attainment 8 53.0
Harper Green School
Academy converter · 1,070 pupils
77% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.8
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.