The Hollins, Accrington
The Hollins is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Accrington, part of Let Education Trust. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 3rd-highest of the 5 schools in Accrington with published results, and 2,357th of 3,298 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Lancashire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Hollins in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at The Hollins averaged an Attainment 8 score of 41.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.2 in Lancashire and 47 across England.
35% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 44% in Lancashire and 47% in England.
That is up from 40.7 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.16: pupils made below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 36.7, against 44.9 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 8.2 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 22 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.
Getting a place at The Hollins
For September 2026 entry, 153 families put The Hollins as their first choice and 501 named it as one of their preferences, for 152 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 19 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to The Hollins are Mount Carmel Roman Catholic High School, Hyndburn (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.5); Rhyddings (1.6 miles, Attainment 8 33.9); Accrington Academy (1.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 39.8); and Accrington St Christopher's Church of England High School (1.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.5).
The Hollins's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Mount Carmel Roman Catholic High School, HyndburnRhyddingsAccrington AcademyAccrington St Christopher's Church of England High School
The trust
The Hollins is one of 4 schools run by Let Education Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
53 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Hollins (as of September 2025): 77% would recommend the school, 83% say their child is happy there and 58% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child does well at the school (87%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (58%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 155 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 80% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 58% to a further education college, 10% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.
Who goes there
35.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 27.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (57%) and Asian (35%).
In 2026, 86 pupils (10.8%) received SEN support and 28 (3.5%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Accrington Rail Station, about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Hollins School (outside), 60 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Hollins issued 138 suspensions, 17.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 9 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to The Hollins are Baxenden St John's Church of England Primary School (0.4 miles); Accrington Woodnook Primary School (0.7 miles); Green Haworth Church of England Primary School (0.7 miles); and St Anne's and St Joseph's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Baxenden St John's Church of England Primary SchoolAccrington Woodnook Primary SchoolGreen Haworth Church of England Primary SchoolSt Anne's and St Joseph's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
The Hollins has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in March 2022. Before that, as The Hollins (URN 119757), it was rated Good in December 2017.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils are polite, kind and considerate. They make a positive contribution to the calm and respectful atmosphere that exists at the school. Pupils respond well to the high expectations that the school has of their conduct and achievement. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well. Pupils are happy.
Pupils enjoy an impressive range of activities that make a strong contribution to the development of their talents and interests. For example, they take part in musical productions as well as sports, art and music clubs.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Trustees, governors and the school have created a culture where everyone is valued and included. They diligently use the information that they have about the school to assure themselves about the quality of education that pupils receive. Leaders at all levels make decisions that are in the best interests of pupils. Trustees carry out their statutory duties effectively.
The school ensures that all pupils follow a broad and balanced curriculum. It responds skilfully to the individual needs of the pupils that join the school. For example, a small number of pupils benefit from an alternative curriculum that helps to improve their basic skills. As a result, these pupils are able to tackle the demands of the ambitious curriculum that the school has designed. Most pupils are well prepared for each stage of their education.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
About
The Hollins is a coeducational secondary school located in Accrington in the English county of Lancashire.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
35.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
53 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from -0.37 to -0.16 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 43.1 to 41.9 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 35% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 41.9 | 34.8% |
| Disadvantaged(56) | - | 36.7 | 16.1% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(99) | - | 44.9 | 45.5% |
| Boys(74) | - | 39.1 | 33.8% |
| Girls(81) | - | 44.5 | 35.8% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(45) | - | 41.7 | 26.7% |
| Non mobile(140) | - | 42.8 | 35% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 2 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 155 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
9
Permanent exclusions
1.13%
Exclusion rate
138
Suspensions
17.38%
Suspension rate
65 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 794 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with The Hollins
Term dates
The Hollins is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Lancashire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Hollins from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Hollins is in Lancashire; for families living there:
- Lancashire's school travel policy: school transport policies
- How to apply: Apply for free home to school transport assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 8
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
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 Lancashire is 12 (the median across 707 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 The Hollins
Will you get a place at The Hollins? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Hollins's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Hollins:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Hollins.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Lancashire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Hollins for 2022 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Lancashire 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
99%
Near capacity
797 pupils
800 places
3 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Accrington
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Accrington
Across Lancashire council
Places available
14,702
Applications
13,782
Got 1st preference
87.1%
Got preferred school
97.2%
All secondary applications across Lancashire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
86
SEN Support
28
EHC Plans
14.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
794
Total Pupils
396
Boys
398
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
50
Teachers
15.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,110
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,495
Per pupil
£6343k
Total funding
£273k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.8%
Overall absence
23.1%
Persistent absence
830
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
The Hollins
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about The Hollins
What are GCSE results like at The Hollins?
In the 2026 results, pupils at The Hollins achieved an Attainment 8 score of 41.9. 35% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is The Hollins's Ofsted rating?
The Hollins has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in March 2022. Before that, as The Hollins (URN 119757), it was rated Good in December 2017.
What is the catchment area for The Hollins?
No fixed boundary. When The Hollins is oversubscribed, Lancashire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at The Hollins?
The Hollins was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at The Hollins?
Classes at The Hollins average 23.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Hollins?
The Hollins has around 794 pupils on roll. 35% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Hollins?
7.8% of sessions were missed at The Hollins in 2024/25. 23.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Hollins?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming The Hollins on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near The Hollins?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 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 Lancashire is 12 (the median across 707 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Hollins?
The Hollins is at Hollins Lane, Accrington, Lancashire, BB5 2QY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)