Holme Slack Community Primary School

About Holme Slack Community Primary School

Holme Slack Community Primary School is a state primary in Preston that parents clearly want to get into. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 44 applications for just 18 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.44. That means more than two families applied for every spot, and of the 15 first-preference applications, all 15 were offered places — a strong signal that local families rank it highly. The school is led by headteacher Michelle Peck and currently has 207 pupils, just under its capacity of 210. It’s a mixed, non-religious school for children aged 4 to 11, with no nursery provision. The most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in July 2021, confirmed the school remains Good, a rating it has held since at least its previous graded inspection in November 2015, when it was upgraded from Requires Improvement.

Academically, the picture is mixed. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 39% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — well below the Lancashire local authority average of 60%. The school ranks 41st out of 45 primary schools in Preston on this measure, placing it in the bottom 50% nationally. Breaking it down, maths is a relative strength: 84% of pupils met the expected standard and the average scaled score was 105, with 16% reaching the higher standard. Reading and writing are weaker, with 45% and 58% at expected respectively, and only 6% hitting the higher standard in each. Progress scores are not available, so it’s hard to say how much value the school adds, but the raw outcomes suggest a focus on maths that doesn’t yet translate to literacy.

The school offers a solid range of facilities for a primary of its size, including a sports hall, gymnasium, playing fields, an ICT suite and a Forest School. There’s a strong SEND offer, with provisions for dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, hearing impairment, physical disability and a resourced provision. Clubs include coding, drama and choir, and sports on offer are swimming, rounders, cricket, tennis and athletics. With 55.1% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a relatively disadvantaged community. It’s a good fit for families who prioritise a local, inclusive primary with strong SEND support and a clear maths focus, but who are comfortable with below-average literacy outcomes and a school that’s still improving from its Requires Improvement past.

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