What schools serve Skelmersdale?

There are 26 schools in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, including Crawford Village Primary School, Little Digmoor Primary School, Hillside Community Primary School, Delph Side Community Primary School, Holland Moor Primary School and more. You can view each school's catchment area guidance and admissions policy on catchment.school.

How many primary and secondary schools are in Skelmersdale?

Skelmersdale has 19 primary schools and 2 secondary schools. There are also 5 other schools (such as all-through or special schools) in the area. All data is sourced from the Department for Education's GIAS register.

How do I find out if my address is in a school's catchment area in Skelmersdale?

To check whether your address falls within a school's catchment area in Skelmersdale, use the postcode search tool at catchment.school. Catchment area boundaries for Skelmersdale schools are set by Lancashire and reviewed each year. You can also consult the school's admissions policy or contact the Lancashire admissions team directly for the most up-to-date boundary maps.

Schools in Skelmersdale

Q: Who sets catchment area boundaries for schools in Skelmersdale?

Catchment area boundaries for schools in Skelmersdale are set by Lancashire as the admissions authority. Community and voluntary-controlled schools follow the council's published admissions policy, while academies and voluntary-aided schools may set their own. Boundaries are reviewed annually and published each September for the following academic year.

Reviewed by the catchment.school editorial team · Last updated 15 March 2026

Skelmersdale was developed as a New Town in the 1960s, and its residential neighbourhoods - Tanhouse, Digmoor, Birch Green, Pennylands - each have their own primary schools administered by Lancashire County Council. Lancashire draws nearest-school catchments for community primaries and updates them through its annual admissions scheme; because Skelmersdale's estates are relatively self-contained, the catchment boundaries in many parts of the town are unusually clear.

The town is served by two secondary schools: Glenburn Sports College and West Lancashire UTC (which provides a technical curriculum). West Lancashire UTC has its own admissions criteria linked to its specialism, so parents interested in the technical route should check eligibility separately. Lancashire's co-ordinated secondary round closes in October; National Offer Day is 1 March. The catchment.school postcode tool maps all Skelmersdale primaries' catchments to your address so you can check eligibility before applying.

School demand in Skelmersdale

Across the 26 schools in Skelmersdale with published capacity data, the average fill rate is 91%. 9 of them are currently at or above their published admission number, and at those schools catchment distance is likely to decide places at the next intake.

10 schools in Skelmersdale have a religious character, so faith criteria sit alongside catchment distance in their admissions policies.

2 of the schools in Skelmersdale are academies that set their own admissions criteria independently of Lancashire, so check each school's policy directly rather than assuming the council default applies.

9 of the schools in Skelmersdale have a current Ofsted rating, of which 7 are rated Good or Outstanding. Demand and catchment distance tend to be tightest at the highest-rated schools.

Primary schools in Skelmersdale: 6 oversubscribed (19)

Crawford Village Primary School

Primary · Community school

Skelmersdale · WN8 9QP

Ages 3-11 83 pupils Capacity 70

Little Digmoor Primary School

Primary · Community school

Skelmersdale · WN8 9NF

Ages 3-11 153 pupils Capacity 200

Hillside Community Primary School

Primary · Community school

Skelmersdale · WN8 6DE

Ages 2-11 173 pupils Capacity 210

Delph Side Community Primary School

Primary · Community school

Skelmersdale · WN8 6ED

Ages 3-11 227 pupils Capacity 210

Holland Moor Primary School

Primary · Community school

Skelmersdale · WN8 9AG

Ages 2-11 430 pupils Capacity 445

Cobbs Brow School

Primary · Community school

Skelmersdale · WN8 6SU

Ages 2-11 312 pupils Capacity 320

Crow Orchard Primary School

Primary · Community school

Skelmersdale · WN8 8QG

Ages 2-11 115 pupils Capacity 154

Trinity Church of England/Methodist School

Primary · Voluntary controlled school

Skelmersdale · WN8 8PW

Ages 2-11 242 pupils Capacity 250