King James's School

King James’s School continues to perform well as a good school, emphasizing a caring environment where students feel safe and supported. The school has a rich history and fosters connections to the local heritage, which is reflected in the curriculum and various extracurricular opportunities. With strong subject knowledge among staff and effective support for students with special educational needs and disabilities, the school has established a comprehensive educational framework. However, there are areas for improvement, particularly in enhancing the reading intervention programs and providing more meaningful engagement with the world of work for students.

Strengths

• Caring environment where pupils feel safe and supported.
• Strong focus on positive behavior and engaging learning experiences.
• Highly effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
• Ambitious curriculum planning that addresses pupils' learning needs.
• Well-prepared students for life in modern Britain.
• Effective pastoral support for sixth-form students.

Areas for Improvement

• Ineffective interventions for pupils who struggle with reading.
• Insufficient opportunities for pupils to engage meaningfully with the world of work.

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 King James's School attended 91.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 24.1% 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, 7.5% of pupils at King James's 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 King James's School had 16.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.2% 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, 15.7% of pupils at King James's School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.2% 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 King James's School received £7,688 and spent £7,618 for each of its 1,556 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £331,000 (£213 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 Knaresborough · North Yorkshire local authority: places and applications

What is King James's School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for King James's School is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was King James's School last inspected by Ofsted?

King James's School was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does King James's School have?

King James's School has 1,554 pupils on roll.

What age range does King James's School cover?

King James's School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are King James's School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 47.4, and 49% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is King James's School?

King James's School is at King James Road, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, HG5 8EB.