The Alternative School
30 St. James Street, Accrington, BB5 1NT
- Phase
- Independent schools
- School type
- Other independent school
- Ages
- 6 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Headteacher
- Ms Kirsty Swierkowski
- Constituency
- Hyndburn
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 260
- Pupils on roll
- 172
- URN
- 136237
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01282851800
About this school
The Alternative School is an independent school in Accrington. It teaches children aged 6 to 18 and has 172 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has not yet inspected The Alternative School under its current framework. 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
The Alternative School has not been inspected by Ofsted yet. It opened in its current form in September 2010, and new or converted schools usually wait a few years for their first inspection.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 34 | 29 | 43 |
| Attainment 8 score | 1.3 | 1.6 | 2.4 |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 3% | 0% | 0% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How The Alternative 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 | 1.3 | 38.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 1.6 | 37.6 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 2.4 | 37 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 89 |
| 2023/24 | 103 |
| 2024/25 | 152 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 0%
- Pupils with an EHC plan
- 135
- Pupils on SEN support
- 37
Location
Nearby schools
-
Oswaldtwistle School1.1 miles
Local authority maintained schools · Accrington
-
Oswaldtwistle White Ash School1.7 miles
Special schools · Accrington
-
Park View1.9 miles
Special schools · Accrington
-
The Willows2.2 miles
Special schools · Rishton
-
Newfield School3.8 miles
Special schools · Blackburn
Other schools in Accrington
- 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
- Altham St James Church of England Primary School Primary
- Baxenden St John's Church of England Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does The Alternative School teach?
- The Alternative School teaches children aged 6 to 18. It is an independent school in Accrington.
- Who is the headteacher of The Alternative School?
- The headteacher of The Alternative School is Ms Kirsty Swierkowski, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Alternative School been inspected?
- Ofsted has not inspected The Alternative School under its current framework, so no current judgement is shown. That is common for newer schools and is not a mark against a school.
- How big is The Alternative School?
- The Alternative School has 172 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 6 to 18.
- Is The Alternative School full?
- The Alternative School has capacity for 260 pupils and 172 on roll (66%), so it has space against 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 The Alternative School a faith school?
- No. The Alternative School has no designated religious character.
- How have The Alternative School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 1.3 in 2022/23 and 2.4 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What are The Alternative School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Alternative 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 24 July 2026.