Bolton Muslim Girls School
Academy converter · 774 pupils
90% stayed in education · Attainment 8 54.7
Voluntary aided school
Thornleigh Salesian College
- Pupils on roll
- 1,574of 1,650 places
- Free school meals
- 29.4%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 263
- Ofsted
- School remains Good, 22 October 2024Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Of the 256 pupils who finished Year 11 at Thornleigh Salesian College in 2023, 30% stayed on in Thornleigh Salesian College’s own sixth form (Bolton average 12%), 48% went to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.
Religious Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 90% of the year group took it, against 31% of pupils across England.
Among the 165 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 36% went to university (Bolton 31%, England 37%), and 22% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 45.7 against 46.1 across England and 45.7 in Bolton, with 41% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
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 | Thornleigh Salesian College | Bolton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 256 | 3,886 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 93% | 90% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 87% | 84% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 30% | 12% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 8% | 25% | 13% |
| — further education college | 48% | 45% | 37% |
| — other education | — | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 2% | 3% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Thornleigh Salesian College | Bolton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 165 | 2,568 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 82% | 73% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 36% | 31% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 22% | 12% | 19% |
| Further education | 11% | 8% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 9% | 8% | 7% |
| Employment | 27% | 26% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 13% | 21% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Thornleigh Salesian College | Bolton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 45.7 | 45.7 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 41% | 44% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 68% | 65% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 27% | 33% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.86 | 3.95 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 29% | 32% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 32.5 | 36.6 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 50.9 | 49.8 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 9% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 263 | 100% | 88% | 11% | 22% | 73% |
| English Language | 263 | 100% | 89% | 16% | 20% | 74% |
| English Literature | 258 | 98% | 86% | 19% | 21% | 74% |
| Combined Science | 239 | 91% | 65% | 13% | 9% | 60% |
| Religious Studies | 237 | 90% | 31% | 22% | 32% | 67% |
| History | 193 | 73% | 41% | 18% | 26% | 61% |
| Business Studies | 82 | 31% | 18% | 13% | 20% | 67% |
| Spanish | 67 | 25% | 19% | 18% | 27% | 67% |
| Geography | 56 | 21% | 41% | 25% | 25% | 57% |
| Design and Technology | 29 | 11% | 11% | 7% | 23% | 86% |
| Computer Science | 26 | 10% | 13% | 35% | 30% | 73% |
| Physical Education | 23 | 9% | 11% | 17% | 24% | 78% |
| Fine Art | 17 | 6% | 9% | 24% | 28% | 76% |
| Music | 14 | 5% | 5% | 14% | 33% | 86% |
| Graphic Communication | 13 | 5% | 1% | 38% | 23% | 85% |
| Photography | 12 | 5% | 6% | 25% | 19% | 92% |
| Biology | 12 | 5% | 23% | 0% | 45% | 83% |
| Chemistry | 12 | 5% | 23% | 8% | 47% | 83% |
| Physics | 12 | 5% | 23% | 0% | 46% | 92% |
| Polish | 7 | 3% | 1% | 86% | 84% | 100% |
| French | 2 | 1% | 18% | — | 29% | — |
| Urdu | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 42% | — |
| Turkish | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 71% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | 40 | 44% | — |
| Dance: General | 25 | 28% | — |
| Sports Studies | 23 | 26% | — |
| Health Studies | 23 | 26% | — |
| Speech and Drama | 20 | 22% | — |
| Childcare Skills | 19 | 21% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 14 | 16% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 11 | 12% | — |
| Music performance: Group | 2 | 2% | — |
| Music performance: Group | 1 | 1% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Thornleigh Salesian College | Bolton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 225 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 90 | 825 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B- | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 36.28 | 34.50 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B- | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 14% | 13% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Studies | 27 | 30% | 13% |
| Psychology | 23 | 26% | 23% |
| Economics | 22 | 24% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 21 | 23% | 31% |
| Sociology | 19 | 21% | 13% |
| History | 18 | 20% | 13% |
| Biology | 17 | 19% | 20% |
| Chemistry | 13 | 14% | 17% |
| Computer Science | 12 | 13% | 5% |
| Geography | 10 | 11% | 10% |
| English Language | 8 | 9% | 4% |
| Fine Art | 7 | 8% | 3% |
| Physics | 6 | 7% | 12% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
| Graphic Communication | — | — | 2% |
| Photography | — | — | 3% |
| Religious Studies | — | — | 4% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 23 | 26% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 10 | 11% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 6 | 7% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
| Speech and Drama | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
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.