Holly House Special School is a council-run special school in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, for children and young people aged 7 to 14. It supports SEMH.
- Ages 7–14
- 43 pupils
School details
- Type
- Council special school
- Ages
- 7 to 14
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 43 (places for 43)
- Headteacher
- Mr Marc Hughes (Headteacher)
- Boarding
- Boarding school
- Opened
- 1 September 1997
- Free school meals
- 76.7% of pupils eligible
- Council
- Derbyshire
- School reference (URN)
- 131322
Needs it supports
1 need: SEMH
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Social, emotional and mental health
- Social, emotional and mental health Other schools for this in Derbyshire (10)
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 Derbyshire 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
Graded by area, March 2025
Inspected in March 2025. Inspections from September 2024 to November 2025 graded each area but gave no overall grade.
- Quality of educationRequires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Personal developmentGood
- Leadership and managementRequires improvement
- SafeguardingEffective
Contact and getting there
Church Street North, Old Whittington, Chesterfield, S41 9QR
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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
- New Whittington Community Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 3–11 · Ofsted: Good 1.0 mile
- Bluebank School Independent · Ages 11–16 1.3 miles
- Dunston Primary and Nursery Academy Mainstream + base · Ages 3–11 1.3 miles
All SEND schools in Derbyshire
By need in Derbyshire: Autism (21) · SEMH (11) · Severe learning (11) · Moderate learning (10) · Speech and language (9) · Physical (9) · Hearing (8) · PMLD (5) · Dyslexia and SpLD (4) · Vision (4) · Multi-sensory (4)
Questions about Holly House Special School
How do I get a place at Holly House Special 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 Holly House Special School. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What needs does Holly House Special School support?
Social, emotional and mental health. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Holly House Special School take?
Aged 7 to 14, boys and girls.
What is Holly House Special School’s Ofsted rating?
Rated Requires improvement by Ofsted in March 2025 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 Holly House Special School?
Church Street North, Old Whittington, Chesterfield, S41 9QR, in Derbyshire.
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.