SecondaryState · Voluntary aided school

Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic High School

Glenburn Road, Skelmersdale, Lancashire, WN8 6JW ·

Ofsted:Some areas below Good· 2025Roman Catholic

At a glance

A state Roman Catholic secondary school for ages 11–16 in Skelmersdale. Ofsted inspection (April 2025): Some areas below Good (no overall grade was given). GCSE results are well below the England average (Attainment 8: 38.1 vs 46.1, 2024/25). 72 families put it first for 131 places (September 2026 entry).

Ages: 11–16
Pupils: 786
Gender: Mixed
Sixth form: No
Admissions: Non-selective
Local authority: Lancashire
Headteacher: Mrs Mary Henshaw
Opened: Jan 1900

School website 01695725635 Explore the area

Inspection

Ofsted (framework in use until November 2025)

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Graded inspection 23 Apr 2025

Inspections from September 2024 did not give an overall grade, only the separate judgements below.

Quality of education: Requires improvement
Behaviour and attitudes: Requires improvement
Personal development: Requires improvement
Leadership and management: Requires improvement

Safeguarding effective: Yes

Inspection reports describe the school on the day. Read the full report and visit the school before deciding.

Exam results

Department for Education performance tables

GCSE results, 2024/25 · 169 pupils

Attainment 8

38.1

England 46.1

Grade 5+ Eng & maths

26%

England 45.4%

Grade 4+ Eng & maths

49.1%

England 64.8%

Progress 8

-0.73

2023/24 · CI -0.94 to -0.52

This school

38.1

Lancashire

45.1

England

46.1

Attainment 8 over time

Progress 8 isn't published for 2024/25 because those pupils had no KS2 test results (tests were cancelled in 2020). Exams were not held in 2019/20 or 2020/21.

Admissions

Demand for places and how places are allocated

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Year 7 entry, September 2026 (national offer day data)

Offers made

131

1st preferences

All applications

252

1st prefs per place

0.55

Fewer first choices than places

72 of 72 first-preference applicants were offered a place (100%).

Catchment area

We don't have an official catchment boundary for this school. Many schools don't have one, and few councils publish boundaries as open data. We don't estimate catchments. Check the school's admissions policy or the council's admissions booklet.

Last distance offered

Not published nationally. Many councils publish the furthest distance offered for each school in their annual allocation reports. Past distances vary year to year with demand and sibling numbers, so they are not a guarantee.

How places are allocated: you apply through your home council. When a school has more applicants than places, it applies its published oversubscription criteria in order. These usually start with looked-after children, then siblings, then catchment or distance; faith schools may prioritise church attendance. Children with an EHC plan naming the school are admitted first. Apply on GOV.UK

Pupils

School census 2024/25

Pupils

849

Capacity

1,047

75% full

Girls / boys

49/51

Mixed

Eligible for free school meals (last 6 years)41.9%
English as an additional language10.1%
SEN support14.3%
Education, Health and Care plan1.4%
The black tick shows the median for state-funded secondary schools in England.