Alder Grange School

Alder Grange School is a mainstream secondary school with a sixth form. Inspectors found the school performing broadly as expected across attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, personal development, and post-16 provision, while achievement was identified as needing attention. Safeguarding standards are met. Leaders have a clear view of priorities and have taken sensible steps to improve curriculum, attendance, behaviour and support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils are proud of their school, attendance is in line with national figures, behaviour is calm and respectful, and bullying is rare and dealt with seriously. Inclusion is a notable strength: pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils, pupils known to social care and those at risk of suspension are generally well supported, and the sixth form offers an inclusive and well-tailored programme. The main concern is inconsistent achievement over time. Teaching quality and assessment are not consistently strong enough to identify and close gaps in pupils' knowledge quickly, which slows progress and limits outcomes in national examinations, including A-level average point scores. Leaders are taking appropriate action, and disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND often receive targeted support that helps them progress from their starting points. The PSHE curriculum also needs greater depth and coherence, particularly for citizenship, finances and the legal system. Overall, this is a school moving in the right direction with effective leadership and inclusive practice, but it must make teaching, assessment and achievement more consistently strong.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture of safeguarding
• Calm, orderly and respectful school environment
• Effective attendance work, with overall attendance in line with national figures and absence reducing
• Clear behaviour routines and fair consequences, with bullying not tolerated
• Broad, ambitious and generally well-designed curriculum
• Effective reading support that helps pupils read with confidence and fluency
• Inclusive support for pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and pupils known to social care
• Strong leadership and governance with accurate self-evaluation and appropriate priorities
• Well-planned personal development and a comprehensive careers programme
• Inclusive and effective post-16 provision with tailored study programmes
• Staff feel valued and benefit from a coherent programme of professional development
• Pupils develop responsibility and community contribution through leadership roles

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement over time is not consistently strong, and pupils do not achieve as well as they could
• Teaching quality and assessment are inconsistent, so gaps in pupils' knowledge are not routinely identified or addressed
• Teachers do not consistently adapt teaching precisely to pupils' starting points and individual needs
• National examination outcomes are below national averages in English and maths, Attainment 8, Progress 8 and A-level average point score
• The PSHE curriculum lacks sufficient depth and coherence in citizenship, finances, cultural diversity and the legal system

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Alder Grange School attended 92.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 6.5% of pupils at Alder Grange School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Alder Grange School had 16.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 13.2% of pupils at Alder Grange School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Alder Grange School received £8,533 and spent £8,364 for each of its 900 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £705,000 (£783 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Rossendale · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

What is Alder Grange School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Alder Grange School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Alder Grange School last inspected by Ofsted?

Alder Grange School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Alder Grange School have?

Alder Grange School has 899 pupils on roll.

What age range does Alder Grange School cover?

Alder Grange School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Alder Grange School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 39.1, and 29% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Alder Grange School?

Alder Grange School is at Calder Road, Rawtenstall, Rossendale, Lancashire, BB4 8HW.