Westholme School

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano (A healthy mind in a healthy body) has run as the Westholme motto since 1989, and the phrase still captures how this Blackburn independent thinks about education: results matter, but so does the person who earns them. Founded in 1923 by two young teachers with three pupils between them, Westholme is now an all-through co-educational school for around 731 boys and girls aged 4 to 18, with a Pre-Prep stage from age 3 and an INSPIRED Sixth Form at the top. It sits on the Wilmar Lodge site in Wilpshire, just north of Blackburn, drawing families from across Lancashire. The Christian foundation is genuine but light-touch, expressed through the school's plain-spoken values of Work Hard and Be Kind. An ISI inspection in November 2024 confirmed that every regulatory standard was met.

Westholme wears its history without fuss. What began on 19 April 1923 as Emily Singleton and Ivy Richmond's response to a shortage of teaching posts, with three pupils in a house on Preston New Road, has grown into one of the largest independents in the region, marking its centenary in 2023. It moved to Billinge House in 1930, took on a boys' school in 2003, and in September 2022 consolidated its infant and junior provision into a single Prep school on the main Wilmar Lodge site. For decades it ran as a diamond-model school, with boys and girls taught separately through the senior years, before going fully co-educational in September 2018. That heritage still shapes the place: there is an old-school clarity about expectations here, balanced by a real warmth in the way staff and pupils deal with one another.

A century of continuity gives Westholme a settled, unflashy confidence. Led by Principal Mr Paul Taylor, the school is large enough to offer real breadth, with a roll of around 731 against a capacity of 1,360, yet small enough that pupils are known by name. Old Westholmians span a varied set of fields, from the neuroscientist Sophie Scott and the politician Seema Kennedy to the actresses Helen Flanagan and Diana Vickers and the singer-songwriter Charlotte OC. That spread says something about a school that has long valued more than one kind of talent.

The ethos is best summed up by the two-word values the school repeats everywhere: Work Hard, Be Kind. It aims, in its own phrase, to produce better students and better people. Relationships between staff and pupils are very positive and built on strong mutual respect, which is central to how the school works. Clear expectations keep behaviour calm in lessons and around the buildings, and tolerance and understanding are actively promoted rather than assumed.

Four houses, Calder, Longridge, Bowland and Pendle, named for the Lancashire landscape on the school's doorstep, run inter-house competition through the year and give the all-through community a shared identity from Reception to Year 13. The Christian character is foundational rather than denominational, and broadly inclusive: families of all faiths and none will find the worship gentle and the values universal rather than doctrinal.

Westholme is a solidly performing academic school that does well by a broad ability intake rather than a hand-picked elite. At GCSE, roughly 23% of entries were graded 9 or 8 in the most recent results, with about 15% at grade 7, so that close to 38% of all GCSE entries reached grade 7 or above. That is a strong showing for a school that does not cream off the most able, and it is the clearest evidence that the senior school adds real value across the middle and upper ability range.

In our proprietary FindMySchool rankings, built from official data, Westholme's GCSE performance places it within the top 25% of schools in England, above the England average, and 6th among schools in its Blackburn area. These rankings reflect the school's overall standing across its full cohort rather than the results of a selected few.

At A level the picture is solid rather than spectacular. Around 9% of entries were graded A*, a further 21% at A, and a quarter at B, so that about 55% of all A-level grades fell in the A* to B range. For comparison, the equivalent England figure for A* to B is roughly 47%, which puts Westholme ahead on that measure, while its share of the very top A*/A grades, around 30%, sits a little above the England average of 24%. On our FindMySchool A-level ranking, the sixth form lands in the middle 35% of schools in England and 4th locally. The latest ISI inspection did note that some A-level students attain grades below what might be expected, and leaders have introduced strategies to lift outcomes, though their impact is not yet measurable. The honest read is that GCSE is the stronger phase, and that the sixth form is a work in progress with clear ambition behind it.

Teaching is the engine of Westholme's results, and it is a genuine strength. Subject knowledge among teachers is strong and lessons are carefully planned, so that pupils build the capabilities they need and typically make solid progress. Engagement is high across the school, and the curriculum is well matched to pupils' needs and ambitions, supported by an unusually wide co-curricular programme that feeds back into confidence in the classroom.

The picture is not entirely uniform, however. The main area for development is differentiation in the senior school: the inspection found that activities sometimes do not sufficiently account for the spread of prior knowledge and ability in a mixed cohort, which can limit the progress of some pupils. This is most visible higher up the school rather than in the Prep phase, where carefully planned activities and close adult guidance keep younger pupils moving forward reliably.

In the early years, the youngest children follow a well-planned curriculum across the required areas of learning. Close staff guidance ensures their individual needs are met and they make good progress before joining the main Prep school, building the habits of attention and independence that the senior school later relies on.

Progression through the school is continuous rather than guaranteed. Most Prep pupils move up into the senior school, and Year 11 students who meet the entry requirements continue into the INSPIRED Sixth Form, which also recruits a number of external students at 16. The school equips pupils well for each stage of their education as they move through it, and careers advice is personalised and prepares students well for life beyond school.

At 18, university is the dominant route. Of the most recent leaving cohort of 72 students, around 60% progressed to higher education, with roughly 13% taking up apprenticeships, about 10% moving into employment and a further 3% continuing in further education. The apprenticeship figure is notably healthy and reflects a sixth form that treats high-quality vocational and degree-apprenticeship routes as legitimate destinations rather than second prizes. Alumni networks and subject-specific guidance strengthen the support students receive when choosing where to apply.

The school runs a dedicated Oxbridge Programme to guide applicants step by step and to build the intellectual independence Oxford and Cambridge look for. In the most recent year, four students applied to Oxford; competition for places at that level is fierce, and the programme's value lies as much in the depth of preparation it gives, through interview practice and supercurricular reading, as in the eventual outcome.

Westholme is an open-entry independent school rather than a heavily academically selective one, which shapes how families approach each entry point. The principal points of entry are Pre-Prep at age 3, Reception at age 4, Year 7 at age 11 and the Sixth Form at age 16, with the school noting that places are often available in other year groups for mid-year transfers. Applications are made directly to the school through its online registration system, and there is a £60 registration fee and a £50 assessment fee where an entrance assessment applies.

Entry into the Prep school is designed to be straightforward, with informal assessment used to confirm a child is ready rather than to filter sharply. At Year 7, entry follows an entrance assessment, an interview and a reference from the current primary school, which also forms the basis for academic scholarship decisions. Sixth Form entry depends on meeting GCSE requirements in the chosen subjects, and prospective students are offered taster lessons across the A-level range before committing.

As an independent school, Westholme has no published catchment distance or oversubscription cut-off in the way state schools do, so geography is not a barrier to entry. Families weighing a move can still use the FindMySchool map to gauge travel time from home, and the saved-schools shortlist makes it easy to compare Westholme against other Lancashire independents side by side. The Christian foundation places no faith requirement on admission; the school is open to families of any faith or none, which is consistent with its inclusive, non-denominational character.

Pastoral care is a clear strength and runs through the whole school. Inspectors found that pupils feel safe in school and are confident that there are adults to help them if they are worried about something. Behaviour is calm and standards are high, supported by the consistent expectations that come with the Work Hard, Be Kind culture, and by the close relationships that an all-through structure makes possible.

Personal development is taken seriously and planned, not left to chance. Personal development and relationships education is embedded across the curriculum with age-appropriate content, so pupils progressively build understanding of wellbeing, relationships and their own growth as they move through the school. A mindfulness club, a coeliac and allergy society and dedicated careers drop-ins point to a school that pays attention to the practical details of pupils' lives. Safeguarding arrangements are effective: designated leaders work promptly with external agencies, the policy is reviewed annually, staff are suitably trained and safer-recruitment procedures are firmly in place.

The co-curricular programme is one of Westholme's defining features, and it is extensive in the literal sense rather than the brochure sense. Activities from ceramics and chess to public speaking and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award build confidence and skill, and the timetabled clubs list runs to dozens of options across four broad pillars.

Sport is well served by genuine facilities. A 20m indoor pool, a full-size all-weather AstroTurf pitch, an athletics track, a full-size football pitch and an indoor sports hall support an honest fixture list in hockey, netball, football, cricket, rugby sevens, athletics and swimming, with girls' football, kayaking and mountain biking widening the offer beyond the traditional games. Dedicated gym sessions for upper seniors and sixth-formers, plus a Community Sports Leadership Award, mean the programme reaches pupils who want to coach and organise as well as those who want to compete. The variety means a child who is not a natural team-sport player can still find a physical pursuit they take to.

Performing arts have real infrastructure behind them. A professional theatre and a recording studio anchor a programme that includes an orchestra, a swing band, a wind band, a flute choir and senior choirs, alongside junior and senior dance companies and a costume and theatre-tech crew who put on full school productions. The school's photography infinity wall and recording studio give creative students professional-grade tools that few schools of this size can match. Pupils who want to perform, and those who would rather work the lighting desk, both have a route in.

The academic-enrichment and STEM side is unusually rich for a school of this size. An Engineering Society and a Lebo robotics group sit alongside a Medical Society, a Law Society, a Philosophy Club, a Classics Club and a Criminology Club, while a Stock Exchange Challenge and the pupil-run Westies enterprise give business-minded students something concrete to do. Maths enrichment, two key-stage science clubs and a Duolingo language league round out the academic offer. Creative crafts are not an afterthought either, with ceramics, jewellery, textiles, graphics and a design-and-technology workshop all running as named clubs. The breadth is the point: most activities are included in the fees, so cost is not a gate to trying something new.

For 2026-27, day fees are charged per term and rise with age. Pre-Prep is £3,745 per term, Prep (Reception to Year 6) is £4,495 per term, Year 7 is £5,695 per term, and Years 8 to 13 are £6,195 per term, which works out at roughly £18,585 a year at the top of the school. Fees are inclusive of VAT where applicable; lunches are charged separately, and there is a one-off £60 registration fee and a £600 deposit on entry.

Financial support comes in two forms. Academic scholarships are awarded on entry to Year 7, starting at 5% and reaching up to 50% of termly fees on the strength of the entrance assessment, interview and a primary-school reference, and a Sixth Form academic scholarship can cover up to 25% remission of fees across Years 12 and 13. Music, sport, dance and drama scholarships are awarded by audition or practical assessment, with sport candidates expected to show excellence in at least one discipline and to commit to the sporting life of the school. Alongside these merit awards, a limited number of means-tested bursaries help families on lower incomes, assessed through a confidential financial review that may include a home visit. Scholarships and bursaries can be held together, so a talented child from a modest-income household can in principle combine both.

The sixth form has been deliberately reshaped, with the curriculum recently revised to add wider enrichment alongside A levels. Students choose from a full A-level range and combine it with a programme designed to make a UCAS application stand out. The Extended Project Qualification lets students produce a 5,000-word piece of independent research or a practical artefact, and the choices around it are distinctive: a British Sign Language and deaf-awareness course run in partnership with Deafway in Preston, a Community Sports Leadership Award, an English Speaking Board qualification worth UCAS points, and a Delectable Dishes Diploma covering nutrition, budgeting and allergen safety for students about to live independently.

The intellectual culture is sustained by the Cicero Academic Lecture Series, a Model United Nations and subject societies in medicine and law, while the Oxbridge Programme provides structured support for the most academically ambitious. Sixth-formers can also take on responsibility as Prep teaching assistants and through charity and Amnesty International groups, building leadership alongside academic work. A dedicated sixth-form common room gives students a base of their own. The result is a sixth form that prepares students for university and apprenticeship interviews alike, with breadth that suits Westholme's broad intake well.

Westholme runs as a day school on its Wilmar Lodge site in Wilpshire, on the northern edge of Blackburn, with on-site parking for cars, buses and coaches reflecting how widely it draws from across Lancashire. School transport routes serve the surrounding towns, and the central Blackburn location makes it reachable for families across the borough and into the Ribble Valley. Wraparound and holiday care arrangements for younger children are not detailed publicly, so families should confirm current provision and exact term dates directly with the school. Most co-curricular clubs run within the school day and are included in the fees.

A level is the area to probe. The latest inspection noted that some sixth-form students attain below the grades expected of them, and the A-level results sit in the middle band of schools in England rather than the top. Leaders have introduced strategies to address this, but their impact is not yet proven, so families with strongly academic teenagers should ask directly about subject-level outcomes and stretch.

Challenge is not always perfectly pitched. The inspection identified differentiation in senior-school lessons as an area for improvement, with some activities not sufficiently tailored to the range of prior knowledge and ability in a class. Ask how the school stretches the most able and supports those who need more time within a mixed-ability setting.

Fees and the day-school model. At roughly £18,585 a year for senior pupils, plus lunches, Westholme is a significant commitment, and as a day school it relies on families managing a daily commute from across a wide part of Lancashire. The scholarship and bursary programme softens the cost for some, but it is competitive and means-tested support is limited in number.

Westholme is a confident, all-rounder independent that does the basics well and adds genuine breadth on top. Teaching is strong, pastoral care is a real strength, the facilities are better than the school's modest profile suggests, and the co-curricular and sixth-form enrichment programmes are unusually rich for a school of this size. It is best suited to families across Lancashire who want a broad, values-led education from Reception through to A level under one roof, who value character and kindness alongside results, and who will make use of everything from the AstroTurf to the recording studio to the Cicero lecture series. The main caveat is academic ceiling: A-level outcomes are solid rather than elite, and the most academically driven sixth-formers should satisfy themselves about stretch before committing. For the broad middle of able children, though, Westholme offers a well-rounded, kindly and capable education with a century of continuity behind it.