Oswaldtwistle White Ash School
Thwaites Road, Oswaldtwistle, Accrington, BB5 4QG
- Phase
- Special schools
- School type
- Community special school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Sarah Holt
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- SEN provision
- SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, VI - Visual Impairment, OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, HI - Hearing Impairment, SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment, PD - Physical Disability, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Hyndburn
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 75
- Pupils on roll
- 118
- URN
- 119894
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01254235772
About this school
Oswaldtwistle White Ash School is a community special school in Accrington. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 118 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Oswaldtwistle White Ash 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's most recent visit was a short inspection on 24 April 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 14 | 12 | 17 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Average scaled score in reading | - | - | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | - | - | - |
| Reading progress | -7.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -6.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -7.50 | - | - |
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 Oswaldtwistle White Ash 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 | 0% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 0% | 58.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 58.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 11.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 10.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 111 |
| 2023/24 | 113 |
| 2024/25 | 116 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 42.24%
- English as an additional language
- 13.8%
- Overall absence
- 10.59%
- Persistent absence
- 36.89%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Oswaldtwistle School0.6 miles
Local authority maintained schools · Accrington
-
The Willows1.6 miles
Special schools · Rishton
-
The Alternative School1.7 miles
Independent schools · Accrington
-
Newfield School2.0 miles
Special schools · Blackburn
-
Park View2.3 miles
Special schools · Accrington
Other schools in Accrington
- Oswaldtwistle School Local authority maintained schools
- Park View Special schools
- Fairfield Nursery School Nursery
- Lee Royd Nursery School Nursery
- Accrington Benjamin Hargreaves Church of England Primary School Primary
- Accrington Huncoat Primary School Primary
- Accrington Hyndburn Park Primary School Primary
- Accrington Peel Park Primary School Primary
- Accrington Spring Hill Community Primary School Primary
- Accrington St John with St Augustine Church of England Primary School Primary
- Accrington St Mary Magdalen's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Accrington Woodnook Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Oswaldtwistle White Ash School teach?
- Oswaldtwistle White Ash School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a special school in Accrington.
- Who is the headteacher of Oswaldtwistle White Ash School?
- The headteacher of Oswaldtwistle White Ash School is Mrs Sarah Holt, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Oswaldtwistle White Ash School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Oswaldtwistle White Ash 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 Oswaldtwistle White Ash School?
- Oswaldtwistle White Ash School has 118 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Oswaldtwistle White Ash School full?
- Oswaldtwistle White Ash School has capacity for 75 pupils and 118 on roll (157%), 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 Oswaldtwistle White Ash School a faith school?
- No. Oswaldtwistle White Ash School has no designated religious character.
- What SEN provision does Oswaldtwistle White Ash School have?
- The schools register lists Oswaldtwistle White Ash School's special educational needs provision as: SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty; VI - Visual Impairment; OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability; HI - Hearing Impairment; SLCN - Speech, language and Communication; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health; MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment; PD - Physical Disability; MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty; SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty; PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Oswaldtwistle White Ash School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Oswaldtwistle White Ash School's absence rate?
- Oswaldtwistle White Ash School's overall absence rate is 10.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Oswaldtwistle White Ash School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Oswaldtwistle White Ash 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 30 June 2026.