Great Arley School is a council-run special school in Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire, for children and young people aged 4 to 16. It supports moderate learning.
- Ages 4–16
- 99 pupils
- Ofsted: Good
School details
- Type
- Council special school
- Ages
- 4 to 16
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 99 (places for 99)
- Headteacher
- Mrs Alicia Gibbons (Headteacher)
- Free school meals
- 58.6% of pupils eligible
- Council
- Lancashire
- School reference (URN)
- 119878
Needs it supports
1 need: moderate learning
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Cognition and learning
- Moderate learning difficulty Other schools for this in Lancashire (20)
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places at schools like this usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.
- Visit and ask questions
See whether the school feels right and whether it can meet your child’s needs. Our list of questions below can help.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often Lancashire council) that this is the school you want, and ask them to consult it.
- Named in the plan
If the school is named in your child’s plan, it must admit your child. Free home-to-school transport is often part of the arrangement.
Questions to ask when you visit
8 questions to tick off as you go
Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.
Ofsted
Rated Good, October 2013; school remains Good (April 2024)
Rated Good at its last graded inspection, in October 2013. That was some time ago, so read the latest report for the full picture.
- Leadership and managementGood
Since then: School remains Good (ungraded inspection, April 2024).
Contact and getting there
Holly Road, Thornton-Cleveleys, FY5 4HH
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
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The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- Thornton-Cleveleys Red Marsh School Special school · Ages 2–19 · Ofsted: Outstanding 0.0 miles
- Thornton Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 4–11 · Ofsted: Good 0.1 miles
- Brookfield School Special school · Ages 11–16 · Ofsted report card (2026) 2.1 miles
All SEND schools in Lancashire
By need in Lancashire: Speech and language (34) · Autism (30) · SEMH (22) · Moderate learning (21) · Hearing (21) · Severe learning (19) · Vision (19) · Multi-sensory (19) · PMLD (18) · Physical (17) · Dyslexia and SpLD (14)
Questions about Great Arley School
How do I get a place at Great Arley School?
There’s no catchment area or application round. Places usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult Great Arley School. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What needs does Great Arley School support?
Moderate learning difficulty. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Great Arley School take?
Aged 4 to 16, boys and girls.
What is Great Arley School’s Ofsted rating?
Rated Good by Ofsted in April 2024 at its last graded inspection. Newer inspections no longer give a single overall grade, so read the latest report for the full picture.
Where is Great Arley School?
Holly Road, Thornton-Cleveleys, FY5 4HH, in Lancashire.
School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.