The Holden School
The Holden School is an independent special school in Leigh for boys and girls aged 4 to 18. It has 70 pupils and room for 84.
Firs Lane, Leigh, WN7 4SB01942 932540theholdenschool.co.ukMr Alan Harrison headteacherAll details
Inspection
This private school is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, not Ofsted. Its reports are at isi.net.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
9 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Wigan | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 2 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 2.3 | – | – | – | 43.9 | 46.8 |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 11% | – | – | – | 39% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 11% | – | – | – | 62% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 0.09 | – | – | – | 3.77 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 0% | – | – | – | 31% | 41% |
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 Wigan council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 70 | 79 | 84 | 60 | 52 | 37 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | – | – | – | – | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | – | – | – | – | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 0% | 0% | 7% | 0% | 3% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 100% | 100% | 93% | 100% | 97% |
The area around the school
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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leigh St Peter's CofE Primary School | Church of England | 270 m | 331 | No overall grade 2025 | 59 | Compare |
| Leigh St Mary's CofE Primary School | Church of England | 0.7 miles | 211 | Good 2024 | 29 | Compare |
| Leigh Central Primary School | Council | 0.7 miles | 211 | Good 2022 | 48 | Compare |
| Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Leigh | Roman Catholic | 0.7 miles | 300 | No overall grade 2025 | 10 | Compare |
| Expanse Learning (Expanse Group Ltd) | Special post 16 institution | 0.7 miles | – | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Newton Westpark Primary School | Council | 0.8 miles | 202 | Good 2023 | 23 | Compare |
| Leigh CofE Primary School | Academy | 0.8 miles | 350 | Good 2023 | 62 | Compare |
| Leigh St John's CofE Primary | Church of England | 0.8 miles | 210 | Not inspected | 78 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is The Holden School a good school?
We don't have enough published data to score The Holden School yet.
How good are The Holden School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 11% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 2.3, against 46.8 for England.
How many pupils does The Holden School have?
70 pupils aged 4 to 18 were on the roll in January 2024. It has 84 places, so it is 83% full.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Firs Lane, Leigh, WN7 4SB
- Telephone
- 01942 932540
- Website
- www.theholdenschool.co.uk
- Headteacher
- Mr Alan Harrison
- Type of school
- Independent special school (Other independent special school, special schools)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 4-18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Local authority
- Wigan
- Ward
- Leigh West
- Constituency
- Leigh and Atherton
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 2 September 2019 (new provision)
- URN
- 146988 · LAESTAB 3596004 · UKPRN 10089861
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.