Holden Lane Academy, Stoke-on-Trent
Holden Lane Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Stoke-on-Trent, part of Alpha Academies Trust. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 6th-highest of the 103 schools in Stoke-on-Trent with published results, and 1,036th of 14,452 across England. It was 95% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Stoke-on-Trent (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Holden Lane Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 97% of Year 6 pupils at Holden Lane Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 87% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 73% in Stoke-on-Trent and 77% and 75% across England.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Holden Lane Academy
For September 2026 entry, 19 families put Holden Lane Academy as their first choice and 24 named it as one of their preferences, for 20 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Holden Lane Academy are Co-op Academy Hamilton (0.7 miles, Good); St George and St Martin's Catholic Academy (0.7 miles, Good, 87% reading, 87% maths); New Ford Academy (0.7 miles, Outstanding, 80% reading, 78% maths); and Abbey Hulton Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 50% reading, 67% maths).
Holden Lane Academy's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
Co-op Academy HamiltonSt George and St Martin's Catholic AcademyNew Ford AcademyAbbey Hulton Primary School
The trust
Holden Lane Academy is one of 6 schools run by Alpha Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
60.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 38.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (44%), Asian (18%) and Black (13%).
In 2026, 48 pupils (21.6%) received SEN support and 3 (1.4%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a moderate learning difficulty.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Stoke-on-Trent Rail Station, about 2.5 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ralph Drive, 210 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Holden Lane Academy stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
Holden Lane Academy recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Holden Lane Academy are Birches Head Academy (0.2 miles) and The Excel Academy (0.3 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Holden Lane Academy has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in September 2024. Before that, as Holden Lane Primary School (URN 124021), it was rated Good in May 2013.
At a Glance
60.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
2024/25 academic year
Class Sizes
24.7
Avg class size
27.3
Infant (KS1)
30.5
KS2
9
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Holden Lane Academy
Before and after school care
Holden Lane Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Stoke-on-Trent
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Holden Lane Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Holden Lane Academy is in Stoke-on-Trent; for families living there:
- Stoke-on-Trent's school travel policy: School transport
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Stoke-on-Trent is 12.5 (the median across 116 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Holden Lane Academy
Will you get a place at Holden Lane Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Holden Lane Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Holden Lane Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Holden Lane Academy.
- Stoke-on-Trent publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Holden Lane Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Holden Lane Academy for 2025 and 2026 entry.
- How many families in Stoke-on-Trent got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
95%
Near capacity
200 pupils
210 places
10 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Stoke-on-Trent
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Stoke-on-Trent
Across Stoke-on-Trent council
Places available
3,315
Applications
2,953
Got 1st preference
94.4%
Got preferred school
97.2%
All primary applications across Stoke-on-Trent council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
48
SEN Support
3
EHC Plans
23.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
222
Total Pupils
103
Boys
119
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
18.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,322
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,329
Per pupil
£1487k
Total funding
£161k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.6%
Overall absence
9.0%
Persistent absence
177
Enrolments
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Holden Lane Academy
Questions parents ask about Holden Lane Academy
What are SATs results like at Holden Lane Academy?
Of the pupils at Holden Lane Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 97% reached the expected standard in reading and 87% did so in maths.
What is Holden Lane Academy's Ofsted rating?
Holden Lane Academy has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in September 2024. Before that, as Holden Lane Primary School (URN 124021), it was rated Good in May 2013.
How close to Holden Lane Academy do you need to live?
Stoke-on-Trent published that the last place offered at Holden Lane Academy on distance went to a family 0.632 miles away. This is the authority's own figure for one year, not a fixed boundary - the cut-off moves with the number of applications, so treat it as a guide rather than a guarantee.
Is it hard to get a place at Holden Lane Academy?
Holden Lane Academy was close to full in 2025, at 95% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Holden Lane Academy?
Classes at Holden Lane Academy average 24.7 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Holden Lane Academy?
Holden Lane Academy has around 222 pupils on roll. 60% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Holden Lane Academy?
4.6% of sessions were missed at Holden Lane Academy in 2024/25. 9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Holden Lane Academy?
Apply through Stoke-on-Trent's coordinated admissions process, naming Holden Lane Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Holden Lane Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Holden Lane Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Holden Lane Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Stoke-on-Trent is 12.5 (the median across 116 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Holden Lane Academy?
Holden Lane Academy is at Ralph Drive, Sneyd Green, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST1 6JS.
Sources: Stoke-on-Trent admissions booklet; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)