School Chooser

Holly Grove School

Special · ages 2-11MixedCouncil138 pupilsNurseryBurnleyLancashire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedOutstandingConfirmed by Ofsted, June 2023
Reached the expected level at 110%England 63%
Attendance90.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families43%Far more than most schools
Pupils per teacher9.2School workforce census
Pupils on roll138Census January 2026

Holly Grove School is a council special school in Burnley for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 138 pupils. About 43 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2023.

Burnley Campus, Barden Lane, Burnley, BB10 1JD01282 953710holly-grove.lancs.sch.ukMs Eve Taylor headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 28 June 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Outstanding overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

16 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 110%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%20232024: 0%0%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2017: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017LancashireEngland
Pupils tested161524131614
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%61%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%8%8%
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score101.0104.2104.6
Expected level: readingReading expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%0%0%0%0%7%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-3.8-1.0-3.1-4.2
Maths progressMaths progress score-3.7-0.6-3.6-2.6
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged0%0%0%0%0%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 21 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Lancashire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll138Census January 2026
Pupils from low-income families43%43% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English23%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%138 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)38%£80,600 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls87 / 51
White British pupils62%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, physical disability, profound and multiple learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, visual impairment.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Lancashire with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (91), language and communications needs (20), Severe learning difficulty (12), Other difficulty or disability (6), Physical disability (3), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (3).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll138137121113119112
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals43%38%36%34%36%41%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language23%20%22%23%24%25%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance90.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school30.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.1%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence9.6%9.3%10.2%11.0%20.7%9.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence7.5%9.0%10.1%11.0%20.3%9.6%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.1%0.3%0.1%0.0%0.4%0.0%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence30.1%32.7%32.7%26.9%72.3%32.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers15.0full-time equivalent, 15 people
Pupils per teacher9.2Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants53.1full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£49,491
Teachers who left in the year14%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher8.22022/23

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£28,157England £32,258. Total £3.9m
Income per pupil£28,709England £32,367. Total £3.9m
Spent on teachers per pupil£7,789England £11,930
Money in reserve6%Not much put by: £233k, £1,704 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out+£76kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£28,157spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m69812 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate211 per 1,000 people131% higher than the England average
Typical house price£135,000Burnley
Nearest bus stop70 mPratt Street, 18 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Reedley Hallows Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school0 m178Good 2024Compare
Barden Primary SchoolCouncil0 m474Good 202448Compare
Rawdhatul UloomIndependent590 m109Not inspectedCompare
Heasandford Primary SchoolCouncil810 m630Good 202438Compare
Burnley Stoneyholme Community Primary SchoolCouncil930 m406No overall grade 202594Compare
St John the Baptist RC Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyAcademy950 m212Good 202444Compare
Basnett Street Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school0.6 miles96No overall grade 2025Compare
Casterton Primary AcademyAcademy0.7 miles291Good 202274Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Holly Grove School a good school?

Holly Grove School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it outstanding at its last inspection in June 2023.

What is Holly Grove School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Holly Grove School outstanding at its last full inspection on 28 June 2023.

How good are Holly Grove School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Holly Grove School have?

138 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026.

What is attendance like at Holly Grove School?

Pupils were in school 90.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 30% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Holly Grove School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, physical disability, profound and multiple learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, visual impairment. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Burnley Campus, Barden Lane, Burnley, BB10 1JD
Telephone
01282 953710
Website
www.holly-grove.lancs.sch.uk
Headteacher
Ms Eve Taylor
Type of school
Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 2-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Lancashire
Ward
Queensgate
Constituency
Burnley
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
2 September 2005 (result of amalgamation)
URN
135014 · LAESTAB 8887114 · UKPRN 10078556
Formerly
Burnley Primrose Hill School

Where these figures come from