Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School

Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School has transitioned from an outstanding rating in its previous inspection to a good rating in this latest inspection, which reflects changes in its effectiveness over the past 13 years. The school is characterized by a positive environment where pupils show respect and courtesy, and they appreciate the quality of education provided. Overall, pupils achieve well, particularly in core subjects like humanities, mathematics, and English, and the sixth-form students are well-prepared for higher education.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well across a wide range of subjects.
• Strong performance in humanities, mathematics, and English.
• Well-planned key stage 4 and sixth-form curriculum.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• Good behaviour and positive relationships between teachers and pupils.
• High-quality extra-curricular activities and leadership opportunities.

Areas for Improvement

• Key stage 3 curriculum requires further refinement in some subjects.
• Some parents feel uninformed about the school's curriculum content.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School attended 91.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 22.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 4.6% of pupils at Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School had 16.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.7% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 7.4% of pupils at Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 13 pupils.

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School received £7,197 and spent £7,312 for each of its 1,323 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £267,000 (£202 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Crewe · Cheshire East local authority: places and applications

What is Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School last inspected by Ofsted?

Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School have?

Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School has 1,311 pupils on roll.

What age range does Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School cover?

Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 49.4, and 48% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School?

Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School is at Selkirk Drive, Holmes Chapel, Crewe, Cheshire, CW4 7DX.