Holmeswood Methodist School
Chapel Lane, Holmeswood, Ormskirk, L40 1UD
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Methodist
- Headteacher
- Mr Relph Higson
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Southport
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 42
- Pupils on roll
- 55
- URN
- 119403
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01704821360
About this school
Holmeswood Methodist School is a Methodist voluntary controlled primary school in Ormskirk. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 55 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Holmeswood Methodist School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Needs attention
- Achievement
- Needs attention
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Strong standard
- Leadership and governance
- Expected standard
- Early years
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 6 | 9 | 7 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 83% | 56% | 29% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 33% | 11% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 100% | 67% | 57% |
| Expected standard in maths | 83% | 67% | 57% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 100% | 56% | 43% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 111.0 | 104.0 | 102.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 103.0 | 97.0 |
| Reading progress | +4.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.00 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Holmeswood Methodist School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Lancashire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 83% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 56% | 58.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 29% | 58.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 49 |
| 2023/24 | 51 |
| 2024/25 | 51 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Holmeswood Methodist School compares
Holmeswood Methodist School ranked 424th of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 6% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 29% | 3.8% | 2.2% | 55 | — |
| Tarleton Mere Brow Church of England Primary School | 67% | 6.2% | 10.5% | 69 | 1.6 miles |
| Rufford CofE School | 79% | 2.6% | 4.9% | 114 | 1.9 miles |
| Tarleton Holy Trinity CofE Primary School | 81% | 4.6% | 8.3% | 207 | 2.6 miles |
| Burscough Bridge Methodist School | 90% | 6.2% | 22.2% | 41 | 3.0 miles |
| Burscough Bridge St John's Church of England Primary School | 45% | 3.8% | 13.6% | 135 | 3.0 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 2.22%
- English as an additional language
- 2%
- Overall absence
- 3.82%
- Persistent absence
- 9.52%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Tarleton Mere Brow Church of England Primary School1.6 miles
Primary · Preston
-
Rufford CofE School1.9 miles
Primary · Ormskirk
-
Tarleton Holy Trinity CofE Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Preston
-
Burscough Bridge Methodist School3.0 miles
Primary · Ormskirk
-
Burscough Bridge St John's Church of England Primary School3.0 miles
Primary · Ormskirk
Other schools in Ormskirk
Holmeswood Methodist School ranks 21st of the 22 ranked primary schools in Ormskirk.
- Aughton Christ Church Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Aughton St Michael's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Aughton Town Green Primary School Primary
- Bickerstaffe CofE Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Burscough Bridge Methodist School Primary
- Burscough Bridge St John's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Burscough Lordsgate Township Church of England Primary School Primary
- Burscough Village Primary School Primary
- Downholland-Haskayne Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School Primary
- Halsall St Cuthbert's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Mawdesley St Peter's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Ormskirk Asmall Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Holmeswood Methodist School teach?
- Holmeswood Methodist School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Ormskirk.
- Who is the headteacher of Holmeswood Methodist School?
- The headteacher of Holmeswood Methodist School is Mr Relph Higson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Holmeswood Methodist School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Holmeswood Methodist School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Holmeswood Methodist School?
- Holmeswood Methodist School has 55 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Holmeswood Methodist School full?
- Holmeswood Methodist School has capacity for 42 pupils and 55 on roll (131%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Holmeswood Methodist School a faith school?
- Yes. Holmeswood Methodist School is designated Methodist.
- Does Holmeswood Methodist School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Holmeswood Methodist School as having nursery classes.
- How have Holmeswood Methodist School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 83% in 2022/23 and 29% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Holmeswood Methodist School compare with other schools in Lancashire?
- Holmeswood Methodist School ranked 424th of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 6% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Holmeswood Methodist School's absence rate?
- Holmeswood Methodist School's overall absence rate is 3.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Holmeswood Methodist School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Holmeswood Methodist School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 15 July 2026.