On Heathlands Road in Holme Grange, Wokingham, a Grade II listed building designed by Norman Shaw (1883) gives the school its sense of continuity, even as daily life spans from nursery children to GCSE students. It is a setting with real breadth, not only by age but by rhythm: early years outdoors, primary foundations, and a secondary phase that ends at Year 11.
Holme Grange School is an independent all-through school for boys and girls aged 2 to 16 in Wokingham, Berkshire, with a published capacity of 660. The headteacher is Mrs Pippa Adams, and the school sits firmly in the day-school lane with no boarding and no sixth form.
The 2025 ISI inspection report judged that standards relating to safeguarding were not met, and standards relating to leadership and management were not met.
The Holme Grange Way is written in the school’s own language as confidence, respect, aspiration, resilience, and kindness, and it is a useful lens for families because it sets expectations beyond grades. This is a school that wants pupils to speak up, try again, and behave well for reasons that make sense, not simply to avoid consequences.
The all-through shape matters here. Children can start at two, build familiar routines, and then move into Eaton Grange for the senior years without changing school identity. For some families, that continuity is the point: a long runway for confidence, friendships, and learning habits. For others, it raises a different question: whether a child will want a bigger reset at 11 or 13, with a new peer group and a broader scale.
There is also a clear emphasis on learning beyond four walls. Outdoor learning is not a bolt-on; it is positioned as part of the school’s fabric, from Forest School in the early years to wider sustainability themes as pupils get older. Families with children who learn best with movement and variety often value that steadiness.
Holme Grange publishes a clear headline GCSE picture for 2025. It reports that 97% of entries achieved grades 9 to 4, and 81% achieved grades 9 to 5. In core subjects, it reports 100% of entries at grades 9 to 4 in Mathematics, and 92% of entries at grades 9 to 4 in English. For separate sciences, it reports 100% of entries at A* to C (grades 9 to 4).
Alongside the school’s own reporting, the FindMySchool ranking data provides a different, standardised comparator. Holme Grange is ranked 3770th in England and 6th in Wokingham for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), placing it below England average on this measure, within the bottom 40% of schools in England.
For parents, the practical takeaway is to read results with both lenses. The school’s published GCSE headlines give the on-the-ground picture of what students achieved in the most recent cycle it highlights, while the FindMySchool view helps you compare across the local area using a consistent framework. If you are shortlisting, using FindMySchool’s comparison tools to line up nearby independents on the same metrics can clarify what is signal and what is noise.
England ranks and key metrics (where available)
GCSE 9–7
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% of students achieving grades 9-7
On a school site that emphasises outdoor classrooms, Forest School, and a sustainability curriculum, the teaching story is clearly about keeping learning tangible. That shows up most strongly in the younger years, where early learning is described as child-led and rooted in play, with children encouraged to explore outdoors and build early independence.
As pupils move through the school, that applied mindset continues in different forms. The senior phase is positioned as preparing students for GCSE, but with a wider framing of employability and future pathways. Careers education is set out as a whole-school thread, with structured input across year groups rather than being saved for Year 11.
The most recent report’s areas for action included ensuring that personal, social, health and economic education is adapted for the needs of pupils in Years 3 to 11. For families, that is worth asking about in practical terms: what pupils are taught, how it is sequenced, and how the school checks that it lands well for different ages.
Holme Grange is a 2 to 16 school, so Year 11 is the natural finishing line. That gives the senior years a clear focus: GCSE preparation and strong habits for the next stage, with the expectation that students will move on to post-16 providers elsewhere.
The school’s own messaging frames those next steps broadly: A-level routes, apprenticeships, and employment options, supported by a careers programme that builds over time. It also points families towards guidance on local schools and colleges when the Year 11 transition approaches, which matters because the post-16 market around Wokingham is a mix of sixth forms and colleges, each with different entry requirements and subject spreads.
For students who benefit from continuity, the absence of an in-house sixth form can be a positive nudge towards choosing the best fit at 16. For students who want to stay put, it is a structural change to plan for early.
Dates on the school’s admissions pages make clear that Holme Grange recruits at multiple points, with particular focus on entry into Eaton Grange (the senior school). It also sets out a personalised approach for younger entry, including informal conversations for Little Grange and structured steps for older applicants.
Scholarships are offered at Year 7 and Year 9, with awards across academic, sport, music, drama, and art. Bursaries are described as means-tested and available from Year 3. For families, the important distinction is practical: scholarships recognise strength or potential in a particular area; bursaries are financial assistance based on household circumstances. If affordability is a live issue, it is sensible to discuss bursary routes early rather than treating them as a late-stage add-on.
Holme Grange advertises a Year 7 Discovery Afternoon on Tuesday 27 January 2026 (2pm to 4.30pm), a Whole School Open Morning on Friday 30 January 2026 (10am to 12 noon), and a Year 5 Discovery Morning on Saturday 7 March 2026 (10am to 12 noon). Those dates give a feel for how the school invites families in: staged encounters, not a single one-off.
Costs around entry are clearly stated. The registration fee is £200 (non-refundable), and the acceptance deposit is £300 (refundable on leaving the school). Termly fees from September 2025 are published by phase, and nursery fee details are handled separately.
For logistics, it helps to be precise about travel before you commit. FindMySchool’s map tools are useful here for sense-checking distances and weekly routine, especially if you are balancing wraparound care, after-school commitments, and transport options.
A school that talks about kindness and resilience as part of its core identity is setting a pastoral standard it must then deliver daily, not only in moments of crisis. The all-through structure can support that, because staff have longer to know families, spot patterns, and keep expectations consistent from early years into the secondary phase.
Safeguarding is the non-negotiable baseline, and the most recent report’s findings focused attention on governance oversight and on the completion and monitoring of suitability checks for governors. That is not a detail to skim past. It is exactly the kind of behind-the-scenes system that parents should ask about, calmly but directly: what has changed, how compliance is checked now, and how leaders ensure that the administrative foundations match the school’s stated values.
It is also worth noticing what the school highlights as day-to-day support. Extended provision, structured homework time, and clear routines all influence wellbeing, particularly for children who feel anxious when days are unpredictable. At Holme Grange, the emphasis on extended day options and a steady timetable will suit many families, so long as the pace fits the child.
A 300-seat professional theatre and a recording studio are not decorative extras; they are infrastructure that can make performance feel normal rather than exceptional. Holme Grange describes choirs, A Cappella groups, orchestras, and Rock Bands as part of school life, and it also offers LAMDA lessons for students who want formal progression in speaking and performance.
For pupils who grow through rehearsal and feedback, that matters. Performance builds poise, but it also builds habits: turning up, practising, listening, improving. The presence of dedicated spaces makes it easier for those habits to become routine.
The outdoor offer is a defining strand. The school describes multiple Forest School sites, three outdoor classrooms, and a willow village, with a wider sustainability curriculum that runs beyond the early years. That can be a genuine advantage for children who learn best through experience and real-world context.
In the senior years, the co-curricular picture widens again. The school highlights opportunities such as a BTEC in animal care, and its facilities for design and making include 3D printers and laser cutters (used, for example, in theatre set design). For families, the attraction is clear: a school day that leaves room for practical skills as well as exams.
*Bursaries may be available for eligible families.
Basis: per term
Holme Grange runs a coach service with routes serving Maidenhead and Twyford, Wokingham, Eversley, Ascot and Sunningdale, and Camberley. The published timings list an 8.30am arrival and a 5.40pm departure, with an additional 4.40pm departure on select routes. For many families, that creates a workable day even when clubs or rehearsals stretch beyond the final lesson.
Breakfast club is available from 7.30am, and the school describes a free evening homework session running until 5.50pm. Nursery hours are described as 7.30am to 6pm across 50 weeks of the year, with flexible attendance options. For eligible families, Early Years Free Entitlement funding is available; the school sets out how those hours are scheduled within the nursery day.
Safeguarding and governance: The most recent report did not find the safeguarding standard met, linked to gaps in completing and monitoring required checks for governors. Ask for clear, practical detail on what has changed, and how it is audited now.
No sixth form: Students will need to move elsewhere after Year 11. That can be a positive choice point at 16, but it is also a transition that benefits from early planning.
Fees and extras: Term fees are published and sit alongside add-ons such as wraparound care and lessons. Budgeting is easier when you ask early what is included, what is optional, and what tends to come on top.
Fit and pace across ages: An all-through school suits children who benefit from continuity, but it is not the right answer for everyone. Some children thrive on the fresh start of a larger secondary at 11; others prefer staying in a familiar culture through to GCSE.
Holme Grange School is a small, all-through independent in Wokingham that puts real weight on outdoor learning and the arts, backed by serious facilities such as its theatre and recording studio. It will suit families who want a 2 to 16 journey with clear routines, a practical approach to learning, and strong co-curricular texture.
The limiting factor is not breadth of opportunity so much as the questions a careful parent should ask, particularly around the governance and safeguarding systems highlighted in the most recent report. For families who get the answers they need, this can be a distinctive, grounded education through to GCSE.
Holme Grange offers an all-through education from age 2 to 16, with specialist spaces for the arts and a strong emphasis on outdoor learning. It also publishes clear GCSE headlines for 2025. Whether it is the right school depends on fit, and families should weigh the most recent independent inspection findings carefully alongside the school’s day-to-day offer.
Fees are published per term for Reception to Year 11, with different rates for each phase. Nursery fee details are handled separately. Scholarships and means-tested bursaries are available, and there are also extras to consider such as wraparound care and some optional lessons.
No. The school teaches through to Year 11 (age 16), so students move on elsewhere for A-levels or other post-16 routes. The school describes careers guidance and support for those next steps.
Admissions are handled directly by the school, with entry points including early years and senior school. The school also offers scholarships at Year 7 and Year 9 in areas including academic, sport, music, drama, and art. Visiting through open events and asking about the assessment process is the best way to understand fit.
The school highlights outdoor learning, including Forest School provision and outdoor classrooms, as well as strong arts facilities such as a professional theatre and a recording studio. Music ensembles and performance opportunities are positioned as a normal part of school life rather than occasional showcases.
Get in touch with the school directly
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