Hollinsclough Church of England Academy

Hollinsclough Church of England Academy is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating across all areas. The school is noted for its nurturing environment where both staff and pupils foster a sense of community, making it a welcoming place for families. The curriculum is logically structured and aims to accommodate the mixed-age classes, with improvements recently made to enhance pupil learning, particularly in phonics. However, the school is in its first routine inspection since the pandemic, and while there are many strengths, there are some areas for development that need attention.

Strengths

• A nurturing and caring environment for pupils.
• Strong community feel where older pupils support younger ones.
• Well-structured curriculum that considers mixed-age classes.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs.
• Strong focus on promoting reading and phonics.
• Pupils enjoy taking on extra responsibilities.

Areas for Improvement

• Need for effective monitoring of newer curriculums to assess delivery.
• Early years curriculum lacks clear identification of essential knowledge.
• Occasional low-level disruption affects learning.

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 Hollinsclough Church of England Academy attended 74.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 80.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

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, 0.0% of pupils at Hollinsclough Church of England Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were 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 Hollinsclough Church of England Academy had 16.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 50.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

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, 38.2% of pupils at Hollinsclough Church of England Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Hollinsclough Church of England Academy received £11,278 and spent £9,958 for each of its 35 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £378,000 (£10,787 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of The Moorlands Primary Federation, income was £8,246 and spending £7,899 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 Buxton · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

Hollinsclough Church of England Academy is part of The Moorlands Primary Federation, which runs 14 schools. The nearest others:

• St Bartholomew's Church of England Primary School Buxton
• Manifold Church of England Primary School Buxton
• Waterhouses CofE Primary Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Ilam Church of England Primary School Ashbourne
• St Leonard's Church of England First School Stoke-On-Trent
• St John's CofE Primary School Wetley Rocks, Stoke-On-Trent
• St Werburgh's CE (A) Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
• The Valley Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
• Dilhorne Endowed CofE Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
• Bishop Rawle CofE Primary School Stoke-On-Trent

What is Hollinsclough Church of England Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hollinsclough Church of England Academy is Good, from an inspection in December 2023.

When was Hollinsclough Church of England Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Hollinsclough Church of England Academy was last inspected in December 2023.

How many pupils does Hollinsclough Church of England Academy have?

Hollinsclough Church of England Academy has 34 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hollinsclough Church of England Academy cover?

Hollinsclough Church of England Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

Where is Hollinsclough Church of England Academy?

Hollinsclough Church of England Academy is at Carr Lane, Hollinsclough, Buxton, Staffordshire, SK17 0RH.