The Acorns School
43 Ruff Lane, Ormskirk, L39 4QX
- Phase
- Local authority maintained schools
- School type
- Pupil referral unit
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Joanne Hodson
- Constituency
- West Lancashire
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Pupils on roll
- 74
- URN
- 134872
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01695575486
About this school
The Acorns School is a special school in Ormskirk. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 74 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 13 September 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. 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.
Trends over time
How The Acorns 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 |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 57 |
| 2023/24 | 78 |
| 2024/25 | 67 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 64.18%
- English as an additional language
- 1.5%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Edge Hill University0.3 miles
Universities · Ormskirk
-
Turning Point Academy0.5 miles
Independent schools
-
Pontville School0.8 miles
Special schools · Ormskirk
-
West Lancashire Community High School3.0 miles
Special schools · Skelmersdale
-
Kingsbury Primary Special School3.1 miles
Special schools · Skelmersdale
Other schools in Ormskirk
- Pontville School Special schools
- Rainbow Hub School Special schools
- Moorgate Nursery School Nursery
- 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
Common questions
- What year groups does The Acorns School teach?
- The Acorns School teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a special school in Ormskirk.
- Who is the headteacher of The Acorns School?
- The headteacher of The Acorns School is Mrs Joanne Hodson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was The Acorns School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Acorns 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 big is The Acorns School?
- The Acorns School has 74 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is The Acorns School a faith school?
- No. The Acorns School has no designated religious character.
- Does The Acorns School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for The Acorns School. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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 1 July 2026.