Sharples School Review 2026: High expectations, strong progress, and a wide enrichment menu

A school that talks openly about “high expectations and no excuses” and then backs it up with a tightly structured approach to learning. Sharples School serves the Sharples area of Bolton as an 11 to 16 secondary, with a clear emphasis on academic momentum, reading, and purposeful behaviour. The current headteacher, Ms Caroline Molyneux, took up post in September 2024, and the school marked its 50th anniversary during the 2024 to 2025 academic year.

The most recent Ofsted visit (January 2025, published February 2025) describes exceptionally strong engagement in lessons, an expertly designed curriculum, and behaviour that supports learning. Safeguarding was judged effective.

For families who want an orderly learning culture alongside breadth beyond lessons, the detail is reassuring, including a structured Year 6 to Year 7 transition, a daily breakfast club, and a very large clubs list that runs across sport, STEM, arts, languages, and leadership.

Sharples positions itself as a disciplined, community-rooted school where learning sits at the centre of daily routines. The language used by the school is direct: pupils are expected to work hard, aim high, and take responsibility for their conduct. That tone matters because it signals how the day will feel for students, particularly those arriving from smaller primaries and adjusting to a larger secondary setting.

The January 2025 inspection report paints a school where expectations are consistently visible in classrooms and around the site. Pupils are described as highly engaged in lessons, and behaviour is described as exemplary, with respectful interactions that protect learning time. For parents, the implication is straightforward: children who like clear rules, predictable routines, and teachers who keep lessons moving are likely to feel comfortable here. Children who prefer a looser atmosphere may find the structure more demanding.

Leadership is also in a period of consolidation. Ms Caroline Molyneux is named as headteacher in the January 2025 Ofsted report and, separately, in the trust governance information as taking up the headteacher role from 01 September 2024. Her own welcome message emphasises continuity, noting more than a decade at the school before stepping into headship, which tends to support stable implementation of policies rather than rapid cultural change.

A final cultural marker worth noticing is how student leadership is framed. Ofsted highlights the Student Affairs Committee as a visible driver of charity and school events, linked to the school’s stated aim of creating positive change for pupils. That kind of structured pupil voice can suit students who want responsibility and a defined role in wider school life, not just informal participation.

Sharples sits in the “solid performance” bracket on FindMySchool’s GCSE measures, with outcomes in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). Locally, it ranks strongly.

Ranked 1167th in England and 5th in Bolton for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data)

On the headline measures provided, Attainment 8 is 56.5 and Progress 8 is 0.86. In practical terms, that combination points to students, as a group, making notably positive progress across their GCSE suite from the end of primary school, rather than relying on a narrow set of high prior-attaining intakes. Progress 8 is a relative measure where the England average for mainstream schools is set at 0, so a positive value indicates above-average progress.

The EBacc indicators are more mixed. The average EBacc APS is 4.71 versus an England average of 4.08, which suggests those taking EBacc subjects are generally performing well within that pathway. However, the percentage achieving grades 5 or above in the EBacc is 15.3, and parents should read that alongside the school’s own curriculum choices and entry patterns, rather than assuming a single story about languages or humanities.

One practical way to use this data as a parent is comparison. If you are weighing several Bolton secondaries, FindMySchool’s Local Hub comparison view helps you place Sharples’ progress and attainment against nearby options using consistent measures, rather than mixing different headline claims from different sources.

The clearest academic signal comes from curriculum design and classroom practice. The January 2025 inspection report describes subject curriculums as meticulously designed, with a deliberate sequence of knowledge and clear checks on what pupils have learned. Teachers are described as breaking learning into small chunks, assessing regularly, and revisiting gaps so knowledge builds securely over time. The implication for students is fewer “mystery jumps” between topics, and more structured support when they miss a step.

Reading is also treated as a whole-school priority, not only the responsibility of English. Ofsted notes reading for pleasure through the school library and competitions, plus targeted support for pupils with gaps, including phonics when needed. This is particularly relevant for parents of children whose confidence dipped late in primary school, because secondary success often depends on being able to access subject vocabulary in science, geography, history, and technology.

Provision for additional needs includes a specific specialist element: the Ofsted report states that the school has specially resourced provision for a small number of pupils who are visually impaired, alongside wider SEND identification and staff training to adapt curriculum delivery. For families considering Sharples with a child who needs reasonable adjustments, the key question to explore during visits is how those adaptations work day-to-day in mainstream lessons and practical subjects.

For the most academically able learners, the school runs a defined “Sharples Aspiring” programme. It describes identification of the top 10% of each year group (based on Key Stage 2 reading and maths scores), with additional routes for subject-specific talent identified by curriculum leaders. Enrichment examples listed include university visits, lecture-style talks, national competitions (for example Rotary debating, Young Chef of the Year, photography, and science festivals), and extra programmes such as the Sharples Apprentice.

Because Sharples is an 11 to 16 school, the primary exit point is the end of Year 11. The school’s published materials emphasise careers information, education, advice and guidance as a core strand, with Ofsted similarly describing a comprehensive careers programme that prepares pupils for next steps.

In practice, families should expect a spread of post-16 pathways: A-levels at sixth form colleges, vocational routes in further education, and apprenticeships for the right candidates. A useful question at open events is how the school supports decision-making for students who are undecided, including access to employer encounters, technical education information, and impartial guidance for both academic and vocational routes.

Sharples is a state-funded secondary, so there are no tuition fees. Entry to Year 7 is through the Bolton coordinated admissions process, with a published application window and a defined offer date. Bolton Council’s current published timeline states that you can apply online from 01 September 2025 to 31 October 2025 (11:59pm), with offers issued on 02 March 2026.

The school’s own admissions information also references the same offer date and notes that the school is currently full in all year groups, which matters for in-year moves.

Sharples’ published admissions policy for 2026 to 2027 sets a Year 7 admission number of 240 and explains how oversubscription is handled. After pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, priority is given through criteria including looked-after children (and previously looked-after children), children with a child protection plan (or within a stated recent period), siblings, specific medical or disability reasons supported by professional evidence, children of staff (under defined conditions), and then proximity to the school, measured as a straight-line distance to the designated entrance. Medical evidence is required by 31 October in the normal round.

Because no “last distance offered” figure is published in the data provided here, families should be cautious about assuming that living “nearby” will be sufficient. If distance is likely to be your deciding factor, the FindMySchool Map Search tool can help you model your home-to-school distance precisely and shortlist alternatives if the margin feels tight.

Open events appear to follow an annual early-autumn rhythm. A headteacher update confirms an Open Evening held in September 2025 for prospective families, which is consistent with many schools’ Year 6 recruitment cycle. Rather than relying on past dates, plan on September being the typical window and check the school calendar for the confirmed schedule each year.

Pastoral support at Sharples is described as a multi-layered system built around year teams, tutors, and targeted support roles. The school describes Year Co-ordinators, an in-school behaviour mentor, and a pupil intervention officer as part of its internal network, alongside an inclusion lead linked to reintegration and peer mediation.

Counselling and health support are also explicitly referenced by the school. It describes two counsellors (male and female) and a school nurse with a confidential drop-in service, which is a meaningful offering for adolescents who need early support with anxiety, friendship breakdowns, anger, grief, or general wellbeing concerns.

For safeguarding culture, the school highlights an additional route for pupils and parents to report concerns online, positioned as a same-day channel to the safeguarding team. Parents do not need to know the technology behind it, but they should note the intent: lower the barrier for students who find it difficult to speak up in person.

The most recent Ofsted report confirms that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

This is an area where Sharples is unusually specific. The school states that it offers more than 100 extracurricular activities across the year, with lunchtime sport available daily and additional sessions and teams after school. A published sample list includes clubs such as Robotics Club, STEM Club, Debate Club, Book Club, Gardening Club, Technical Theatre, Creative RE, and multiple sports options across key stages.

The school also runs an internal character and participation framework for younger students. The Sharples Baccalaureate is described as a points-based programme for Year 7 and Year 8, where students gain recognition across leadership, creativity, STEM, sport, and community. Year 7 students are expected to commit to two clubs per week, with bronze, silver, or gold awards each term, and Year 8 projects led by student ambassadors across the same strands. The programme culminates in the opportunity for an outdoor adventurous trip for Year 8.

For families, this matters because it reduces the chance that enrichment is only for the most confident children. By building club commitment into an award structure, and making projects a tutor-group feature, participation becomes normalised. The implication is that quieter students may find it easier to join in when the expectation is shared across the cohort, rather than relying on self-selection.

Sports and facilities appear well developed. The clubs list references use of an astro, sports hall, gym, fitness suite, and pool for activities including swimming clubs and fitness sessions. That breadth supports both mainstream participation and targeted training, without the programme narrowing to a single “headline sport”.

Leadership and service opportunities are visible too. The after-school programme includes Rotary Interact charity activity, and Ofsted references the Student Affairs Committee organising school and charity events. That combination suits students who are motivated by responsibility, teamwork, and visible contribution.

The published school day (from September 2024) runs from registration at 8:45am through to the final period ending at 3:15pm, with break and lunch built into the timetable. Total weekly hours are published as 32.5.

Breakfast club runs daily from 8:00am in the canteen, with free toast and bagels and space for reading, board games, and home learning catch-up.

For travel, the school references the use of school buses in operational planning (for example, arrangements around open evening schedules). Families who rely on bus transport should confirm the current routes and eligibility directly with the school or the council, as these can change year to year.

• High-structure culture. The school’s own language centres on high expectations and firm routines, and the inspection report describes extremely high academic expectations. This suits many students; a minority may prefer a more informal style and could find the pace demanding.

• No on-site sixth form. Students move on after Year 11, so families should plan early for post-16 options and visit likely providers before GCSE choices narrow pathways.

• Oversubscription and proximity criteria. The admissions policy sets out a proximity tie-break after higher priorities, and the local authority process has fixed deadlines. If you are outside likely distance ranges, shortlist alternatives early rather than relying on movement after offers.

• A broad enrichment menu can feel busy. With two-club expectations for Year 7 in the Sharples Baccalaureate and a very large clubs offer, students need reasonable time-management. This is positive for confidence and CV-building; it can be tiring for students who need more downtime.

Sharples School comes across as a purposeful, well-organised 11 to 16 secondary where learning routines, reading, and behaviour are carefully engineered to drive progress. The extracurricular picture is unusually detailed, and the Year 7 to Year 8 enrichment framework suggests participation is not left to chance. Best suited to families who want a structured culture, strong academic momentum, and a school that expects students to take responsibility and get involved. The main choice-point is fit: students who thrive on clear expectations are likely to do very well here, while those who need a looser day may prefer a different style.