Bolton School has registered its nursery and infant school with the education watchdog, completing its foundation-wide restructure which began in 2021.
Ofsted visited the premises on November 9 last year to cast its eye over the how the nursery and infant school was functioning in the new format.
The Nursery and Infant School had been operating as part of the Girls’ Division up until now and His Majesty’s Inspector Sue Eastwood found the school “likely to meet all the independent school standards”.
She added: “Leaders have prepared an appropriate curriculum policy for children in early years and pupils in Key Stage 1.
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“The policy outlines a sufficiently broad range of subjects for pupils to study. The details in the policy emphasise the contribution that each subject makes to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education.
“This planned approach demonstrates leaders’ intention to provide a comprehensive education for each child and pupil.”
The school was deemed to require a refresh by its board of governors to change the perception that it only provides education for girls and boys aged 11 to 18.
As part of the restructure, Philip Britton MBE, previously head of the Boy’s Division since 2008, took up the role of head of the entire Bolton School Foundation.
He says the new-look of the foundations helps give "a sharper focus to our younger pupils and their development".
Mr Britton says that this report, which registers the nursery and infant school within the Bolton School Foundation as a separate entity, “represents the final piece of the jigsaw in our foundation restructuring”.
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He added: “Our nursery and infant School are the co-educational part of the foundation and then the Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions have a clear focus on single-sex education, making use of all the advantages of that along with the best of both worlds, with mixing and collaboration where that is good for us all.
“Ofsted, which usually don’t visit us as the Independent School Inspectorate has that role, are involved in this registration process and their report confirms that all we do here is as they would expect and want to see.
“Such external validation is always nice for colleagues and reassuring for parents, in the part of the school where we aim to give young people the very best start to their education.
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“Children in our infant and junior schools undoubtedly benefit from specialist teaching across many subjects as well as from outstanding pastoral care.
“They also enjoy wonderful enrichment activities, resources, and facilities, all of which help smooth their transition to our senior schools.
“All of our settings regularly achieve outstanding inspection reports.”
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