Westholme School

Westholme School is a coeducational private school in Blackburn, Lancashire, England.

Westholme School
Address
Wilmar Lodge Meins Road Blackburn , Lancashire , BB2 6QU England
Coordinates	53.75295°N 2.53108°W / 53.75295; -2.53108
Information
Type	Independent school
Motto	MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO - A healthy mind in a healthy body
Religious affiliation(s)	Christian
Established	1923
Founder	Emily Singleton
Department for Education URN	119826 Tables
Principal	Mr Paul Taylor
Gender	Boys and girls
Age	4 to 18 years
Enrolment	767
Houses	Calder, Longridge, Bowland, Pendle
Colour(s)	Purple and green
Website	http://www.westholmeschool.com

Founded in 1923, the school caters for boys and girls aged from 4 to 18 years. The school became fully coeducational in 2018.

Mr Paul Taylor commenced as principal in September 2024.

History

Westholme School was founded in Blackburn, Lancashire, England by Miss Emily Singleton on 19 April 1923. Originally from Blackburn, Miss Singleton decided to form a small primary school during the Great Depression due to the lack of alternatives in the local area. She started off by providing space and education for small numbers of local children in her parents' house, called Westholme, on Preston New Road in Blackburn.

By 1948, the school increased enrollment to around 135 pupils and was officially recognized by the government as a formal place of education. This growth led to the formation of a secondary school and a move to larger premises in the area. Miss Singleton was nearing retirement age and needed a new buyer who could continue her work at the school. She agreed with World War I veteran Mr Arthur Rouse, who became the new school principal and joined the school from the University of Salford.

In 1968, the school became a charity administered by a board of governors, and a sixth form was established with a ten-acre site-building program that included an assembly hall, laboratories, a swimming pool, a sports hall, playing fields, a music center, and art studios. The school now consisted of a primary school, secondary school, and sixth form, based at separate locations just down the road from each other.  

Entrance to the school premises at Wilmar Lodge

The school's expansion continued in the late 1990s with a new principal, Lillian Croston. New facilities and extensions were built onto the existing school structures, and each location was modernized and equipped with contemporary teaching technology.

Mrs Croston led the school for 25 years before retiring in 2013. Mrs Lynne Horner became principal of the school in September 2013. In January 2021, Dr Richard Robson became principal as the school approached its centenary year.  As of October 2024, Mr Paul Taylor is the current principal of the school.

Present day

Westholme became fully coeducational in September 2018 and currently accepts boys and girls between the ages of 3 years to 18 years. At present over 700 girls and boys attend the school from areas throughout Lancashire.

The school is independently run and charges tuition fees. Scholarships are available to pupils in a variety of areas. Scholarship entry into Year 3, Year 7, and Year 12 are at the principal's discretion. Bursaries can be applied for before entry into Year 7 and Year 12, in line with the school's charitable status. The value of the Bursary is related to the financial resources of the student's family and the School's available funds.

The Infant and Junior schools, previously located in Billinge House and Beardwood Bank, were relocated to a new modern prep school which opened in September 2022, and is now on the same site of the Senior School and Sixth Form campus situated at Wilmar Lodge.

Sports and extra-curricular activities

The primary sports offered at the school are football, rugby, cricket, hockey, netball, cross-country and swimming. As well as on-site sporting facilities, the school uses local amenities such as the athletics track at Witton Park, various running courses in Billinge Wood and the adjacent countryside and the cricket facilities at Cherry Tree Cricket Club.

Facilities include:

Indoor

• Sports Hall, including cricket nets
• 20m swimming pool and baby pool
• Fitness suite
• Dance studio

Outdoor

• Full-size synthetic hockey pitch
• Football pitches
• Rugby pitch
• Tennis/netball hard courts
• Grass athletics track
• Onsite cross-country course

The school promotes inter-house competitions where students compete against each other throughout the year at events such as Sports Days, swimming galas, and music and reading competitions. Music and drama programs are also offered, with teaching and productions in multi-purpose facilities on the school campus. Theatrical productions take place every year at the school and often involve the cooperation of the school orchestra. Past productions undertaken at the school include Beauty & the Beast, Miss Saigon, and Phantom of the Opera. For the last 20 years, members of the school choir have undertaken a performing tour during the summer holidays and have performed in different international locations, including Salzburg, New York, Monte Carlo and Paris.  

Westholme are partnered with several sports clubs and local organisations. These include partnerships with Accrington Stanley FC, Blackburn Rovers FC, Preston Grasshoppers RFC, Blackburn Rugby Club and Blackburn Cathedral, where the schools carol services are held annually.

Notable former pupils

See also: Category:People educated at Westholme School

• Professor Sophie Scott - Neuroscientist and deputy director of UCL's Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience
• Seema Kennedy - Former Westholme Head Girl and former Conservative MP for South Ribble
• Diana Vickers - Singer-songwriter and stage actress
• Helen Flanagan - Actress
• Jessica Cunningham - The Apprentice winner 2016
• Charlotte OC - Singer–songwriter