Marchant Holliday School, Templecombe
Marchant Holliday School is a special school for boys aged 5 to 14 in Templecombe. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2024. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2024 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2024)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Marchant Holliday School in detail
Marchant Holliday School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "The Marchant-Holliday School is committed to safeguarding the children in our care. We expect staff, governors, visitors and volunteers to share this commitment. For details, please see our Child Protection and Safeguarding policy or pick up a leaflet at the office. I am delighted to welcome you to The Marchant-Holliday School."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Marchant Holliday School has an education, health and care plan (65 of 65 in 2026).
Marchant Holliday School is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Templecombe Rail Station, about 2.4 miles away in a straight line.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 1 crime within a mile of the school, most often vehicle crime. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Somerset (22).
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Met all the independent school standards.
- Part 1: quality of educationMet
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementMet
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The school excels at creating a broad, personalised curriculum for pupils with complex needs, including those significantly below their chronological age. It places strong emphasis on preparing pupils for adult life through practical skills, independence training and outdoor learning. The school is outstandingly led with governors and leaders working together to ensure high standards, responding strategically to increasing demand and the difficulty pupils face finding suitable placements elsewhere.
Key Strengths
- Thoughtfully designed curriculum tailored to individual pupil needs with strong expertise among staff
- Well-developed plans for careers education, work-related learning and age-appropriate relationships and sex education for older pupils
- Strong focus on spiritual, moral, social and cultural development as central to helping pupils thrive
- Enhanced safeguarding culture with new electronic referral system to analyse patterns
- Outstanding leadership judged at previous inspection in March 2024 with no complacency
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is effective and has been further enhanced since March 2024 with a new electronic referral and recording system that increases the ability to analyse patterns in safeguarding incidents.
Extracurricular Activities
Art, gardening, music, sport, trips with preparation for adulthood elements such as developing ability to travel and shop independently
Marchant Holliday School is an independent residential special school for boys aged 5-13 (extending to age 14) with all pupils having Education, Health and Care plans. The inspection found the school is likely to meet independent school standards if approved to expand its age range and pupil numbers from 56 to 75.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Approved
Section 41
No
Special Measures
Keep up with Marchant Holliday School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 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 Somerset is 3 (the median across 307 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
87%
Available places
65 pupils
75 places
10 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Templecombe
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Templecombe
Across Somerset council
Places available
4,902
Applications
4,659
Got 1st preference
92.1%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All secondary applications across Somerset council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
65
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Marchant Holliday School is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
65
Total Pupils
65
Boys
0
Girls
2026 academic year
Questions parents ask about Marchant Holliday School
What is Marchant Holliday School's Ofsted rating?
Marchant Holliday School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2024, it was rated Outstanding.
Does Marchant Holliday School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in March 2024, Marchant Holliday School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Marchant Holliday School?
Marchant Holliday School has around 65 pupils on roll.
Does Marchant Holliday School have specialist SEN provision?
Marchant Holliday School is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
How do I apply to Marchant Holliday School?
Marchant Holliday School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Marchant Holliday School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 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 Somerset is 3 (the median across 307 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Marchant Holliday School?
Marchant Holliday School is at North Cheriton, Templecombe, Somerset, BA8 0AH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)