Risedale School

Risedale School is a secondary comprehensive school in North Yorkshire with a larger-than-average number of service children. A new headteacher started in September 2024, and this was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the current inspection arrangements, no overall effectiveness grade was given, but all four key judgments—quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management—require improvement. The previous inspection grade was good. Published outcomes show that pupils' achievement is significantly below national averages and declining, although the new headteacher has raised standards and expectations and staff are positive about the changes being made. Pupils feel safe and build positive relationships with staff, and behaviour is improving, with classrooms calm and purposeful most of the time. However, a small number of pupils display boisterous behaviour at social times and do not always respond to staff requests. The curriculum is well sequenced and delivered effectively in some subjects, but in others important knowledge is not clearly identified and activities do not consistently help pupils build and recall their learning. Reading is being prioritised, but support is recent and its impact has not been evaluated. Pupils with SEND are identified and staff are trained, but strategies are not consistently applied. Absence and suspension rates are high, though both are reducing. Personal development is inconsistent, particularly in developing character traits such as resilience and self-regulation, and monitoring and evaluation systems are not yet sufficiently embedded. Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and build positive relationships with staff.
• Behaviour is improving and classrooms are calm and purposeful most of the time.
• The curriculum is well sequenced and delivered effectively in some subjects.
• Reading is increasingly prioritised, with accurate identification of pupils who struggle.
• Guided reading lessons help promote a love of reading.
• Pupils with SEND are identified and staff are trained in support strategies.
• The school has a coherent and structured system for tackling attendance.
• Persistent absence has reduced this year.
• Suspensions have reduced following a more supportive approach.
• Pupils access a well-planned PSHE curriculum and learn about tolerance, respect, online safety and relationships.
• Most Year 10 pupils take part in work experience.
• Pupils have access to a range of extra-curricular clubs and leadership roles.
• Leaders are increasingly ambitious, have identified areas for improvement and consider staff workload.
• Governors have a realistic view of the school and provide appropriate support and challenge.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Published outcomes show pupils' achievement is significantly below national averages and declining.
• In some subjects, essential knowledge is not identified or sequenced coherently.
• Teachers do not consistently provide activities that help pupils build and retain knowledge.
• Pupils struggle to recall learning and deepen understanding in weaker curriculum areas.
• Reading support is recent and the impact of strategies has not been evaluated.
• Staff do not consistently apply strategies to support pupils with SEND in the classroom.
• Absence rates are high, particularly for pupils with SEND.
• Suspension rates are high, although they are reducing.
• The personal development offer is inconsistent.
• The school does not develop character traits such as resilience, self-regulation and social responsibility well enough.
• Some pupils are passive learners in the classroom.
• A small number of pupils display boisterous behaviour at social times and do not always meet basic expectations.
• Monitoring and evaluation systems are not yet embedded enough to show the impact of strategies and identify further improvements.

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 Risedale School attended 88.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 29.8% 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, 8.8% of pupils at Risedale School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No 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 Risedale School had 14.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.6% 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, 21.6% of pupils at Risedale School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.0% 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 Risedale School received £10,409 and spent £10,745 for each of its 469 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £158,000 (£338 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 Catterick Garrison · North Yorkshire local authority: places and applications

What is Risedale School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Risedale School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Risedale School last inspected by Ofsted?

Risedale School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Risedale School have?

Risedale School has 467 pupils on roll.

What age range does Risedale School cover?

Risedale School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Risedale School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 33.1, and 14% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Risedale School?

Risedale School is at Hipswell, Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, DL9 4BD.