A NEW school opening in Bolton has claimed parents feel many primary schools in the town are failing their children.

The Olive School, a new Muslim faith primary school, will be run by the Tauheedul Trust, which set up the Eden School for Boys in Bolton and the Tauheedul Islam Girls High School in Blackburn, one of the best performing schools in the country.

Documents released by the government show the trust argued the new school was necessary because the trust found parents were disappointed with current schools.

Bosses at the school also said the new facility would help tackle the shortage of primary school places in Bolton.

In the document, they wrote: “Many parents express their disappointment at existing primary provision and complain about the lack of opportunities for their children.

“Many local parents strongly feel that many primary schools in the borough fail their children and as a result their targets at secondary level are set low.

“This in turn affects their long-term education and career opportunities.”

Free schools are state funded independent schools set up by parents, teachers and charities in response to demand from the local community.

The 420-place school is expected to open close to The Valley School in Astley Bridge and St Thomas CE Halliwell, with the school wanting to specifically target children in the Halliwell area.

The report adds: “The Olive School will provide an excellent education for children recruited from a multi-racial catchment area of Bolton."

A Bolton Council spokesman said: “Currently, 87 per cent of Bolton’s pupils attend a primary school that is judged to be outstanding or good for overall effectiveness by Ofsted, compared to 81 per cent nationally and 79 per cent for our statistical neighbours.

"Primary schools in Bolton are very successful at ensuring that children are challenged and progress well between key stages.

"In 2014 tests, pupils made such significant progress in maths, English and writing at primary school that Bolton was placed in the top quartile of the country.

"A higher proportion of pupils also achieved a Level 4 in reading, writing and maths than the England average.”

A spokesperson for the Tauheedul Education Trust said: “All parents deserve a choice of high-quality education for their children and we have received fantastic support for the opening of this new school.

“Council figures show that more than 2,500 primary school reception places will be required for 2016 so we are helping to meet the real need for extra places that Bolton faces.

"Two schools in the immediate vicinity of our new school already have numbers in excess of their admissions numbers and the local ward councillors have long campaigned for more places.

“We do a huge amount of partnership work with existing schools in the communities in which we operate, and are proud to be an education provider in Bolton.

“We look forward to building on the excellent provision already in the area when we open our primary school in 2016.”