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Clitheroe Royal Grammar School

Secondary Ages 11-18 1,496 pupils Clitheroe
Ofsted: Outstanding
All schools in Clitheroe

Clitheroe Royal Grammar School is an academy converter in Clitheroe for pupils aged 11 to 18. It has 1,496 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for Clitheroe Royal Grammar School is Outstanding, from an inspection in January 2023. In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 70.8, and 99% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE. Pupils turn up more reliably than at most other secondary school: they missed just 4.8% of sessions in 2024/25, against 8.4% nationally.

Ofsted inspection: January 2023. GCSE results: 2026. A-level results: 2025.

Type Secondary / Academy converter
Age Range 11-18
Religion Unknown
Address York Street
Clitheroe
Lancashire
BB7 2DJ
Phone 01200423118
Reference Number 136390

General Makeup

Number of pupils 1496
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 52.54%
Girls: 47.46%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 11.1%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 7.6%

Class Sizes

Average size of one teacher classes 20.9

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
7 106 74 180
8 91 89 180
9 103 78 181
10 85 65 150
11 79 68 147
12 165 168 333
13 157 168 325

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
White, British 60%
Pakistani 20.4%
Indian 4.9%
Asian, Other 3.5%
White & Asian 3.1%
Chinese 1.9%
Mixed, Other 1.5%
White, Other 1.3%
White & Black (African) 0.7%
African 0.7%
White & Black (Caribbean) 0.3%
Unclassified 0.3%

Clitheroe Royal Grammar School has been inspected for the first time under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 and has received an 'outstanding' overall effectiveness rating. The school excels in providing a high-quality education, maintaining exemplary behaviour and attitudes among pupils, and showing a commitment to personal development. Pupils feel proud of their school and are well-prepared for their future endeavors, thanks to a curriculum that is meticulously designed to meet their needs and interests.

Overall Ofsted Rating Outstanding
 >  Quality of education Outstanding
  >  Behaviour & Attitude Outstanding
  >  Personal Development Outstanding
  >  Leadership & Management Outstanding
  >  Sixth Form Provision Outstanding
Last Report Date 22 Nov 2022
Date Report
22 Nov 2022 School inspection:
14 Feb 2012 Academy conversion letter
30 Jun 2010 Interim assessment
Previously as Clitheroe Royal Grammar School
15 Nov 2006 Full inspection:
11 Mar 2002 Full inspection

Strengths

  • Exceptional behavior and respectful relationships among pupils and staff.
  • High expectations that lead to motivated and engaged students.
  • Strong support for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
  • Comprehensive personal development programs that equip students for modern life.
  • High-quality careers education and guidance with successful university placements.

Attainment 8 Score

Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:

  • English
  • Maths
  • 3 subjects from qualifications that count towards the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), like sciences, language and history
  • 3 more GCSE qualifications (including EBacc subjects) or technical awards from a list approved by the Department for Education

Each grade a pupil gets is assigned a point score from 9 (the highest) to 1 (the lowest). These scores are added up, with English and maths counted twice.

School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
70.8

GCSE Results

Metric School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Grade 5 or above in English and maths 98.6%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4 (or A-C) 99.3%

Attainment 8 Score

Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:

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GCSE Results

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Grades

School Local Nationwide
Average Grade B- C+ C+
Average Grade (best 3) B- B- C+
Percentage Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Students getting AAB or better 19%
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Year 7 admissions, 2026 entry

Number of Applications Number of Offers
First Preference
Second Preference 88 1
Third Preference 132 0
From another Local Authority 28 18

Previous years

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Places and pupil numbers

In 2024–25 Clitheroe Royal Grammar School had 1,472 pupils for 1,613 places. 141 places (8.7%) were unfilled.

Pupils and places

Year 7 intake in the “East Ribble Valley Secondary” planning area

Lancashire counted 837 Year 7 pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 827 in 2031–32, down 1%.

20112012201320142015201620172018201920212022202320242025
Places 1,3211,3421,3211,3211,3211,3211,3211,3211,3211,4631,4451,4631,4631,613
Pupils 1,2611,2431,2431,2461,2241,1741,2201,2861,3051,3971,4241,4091,4261,472
Unfilled 4.5%7.4%5.9%5.7%7.3%11.1%7.6%2.6%1.2%4.5%1.5%3.7%2.5%8.7%

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 Clitheroe Royal Grammar School attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 10.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

20142015201620172018201920212022202320242025
Authorised absence 3.0%3.4%3.4%3.3%3.6%3.6%2.4%4.5%4.9%4.6%4.5%
Unauthorised absence 0.0%0.0%0.0%0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%0.2%0.1%0.3%
Severely absent pupils 0.0%0.2%0.5%0.3%0.3%0.1%0.3%0.4%0.1%0.0%0.1%

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, 2.0% of pupils at Clitheroe Royal Grammar School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Suspensions per 100 pupils 0.60.91.21.30.70.81.61.22.82.02.72.92.31.03.0
Permanent exclusions 001000000000000

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 Clitheroe Royal Grammar School had 17.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Pupils per adult 13.813.513.112.714.014.816.015.415.214.915.013.714.213.613.5
Teachers who left state teaching 4.8%6.8%9.3%8.6%8.5%11.0%7.7%5.2%4.5%6.4%4.6%11.8%8.3%4.8%–
Teachers who took any sick leave 69.9%76.7%65.1%68.5%72.8%70.1%69.7%62.7%–51.8%73.3%56.8%73.4%60.6%–
Sick days per teacher 3.86.73.15.25.56.76.85.9–6.74.78.14.93.4–

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, 6.4% of pupils at Clitheroe Royal Grammar School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 0.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

SEN support EHC plan
Autistic spectrum disorder 28 5
Specific learning difficulty 33 0
Social, emotional and mental health 11 1
Other difficulty or disability 7 0
Physical disability 6 0
Hearing impairment 3 1
Speech, language and communication needs 3 1
Vision impairment 2 1
Moderate learning difficulty 0 1
Multi-sensory impairment 1 0
No specialist assessment of need 1 0

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 2024–25 Clitheroe Royal Grammar School received £7,197 and spent £7,085 for each of its 1,475 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,198,000 (£812 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

2019202020212022202320242025
Revenue reserve £564,000£745,000£820,000£1,203,000£1,307,000£1,121,000£1,198,000
per pupil £432£557£586£842£922£778£812
In-year balance -£118,000£31,000£75,000£383,000£104,000-£98,000£165,000
per pupil -£90£23£54£268£73-£68£112

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

Name Distance
Clitheroe Pendle Primary School
Princess Avenue, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 2AL
0.16 miles
Clitheroe Brookside Primary School
Bright Street, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 1NW
0.28 miles
St Michael and St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy
Lowergate, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 1AG
0.33 miles
Ribblesdale Nursery School
Queens Road, Clitheroe, BB7 1EL
0.46 miles
Moorland School Limited
Ribblesdale Avenue, Clitheroe, BB7 2JA
0.52 miles
St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe
Greenacre Street, St. James C of E Primary Schoo, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 1ED
0.57 miles
Edisford Primary School
Edisford Road, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 2LN
0.8 miles
Waddington and West Bradford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
West Bradford Road, Waddington, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 3JE
1.37 miles
Chatburn Church of England Primary School
Sawley Road, Chatburn, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 4AS
1.96 miles
Barrow URC Primary School
Old Row, Barrow, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 9AZ
2.25 miles
Grindleton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Sawley Road, Grindleton, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 4QS
2.4 miles
Sabden Primary School
Whalley Road, Sabden, Lancashire, BB7 9DZ
3.52 miles
St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Sabden
Watt Street, Sabden, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 9ED
3.55 miles
Whalley Church of England Primary School
Church Lane, Whalley, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 9SY
3.8 miles
St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Hurst Green
Whalley Road, Hurst Green, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 9QJ
4.34 miles
Read St John's CofE Primary School
Straits Lane, Read, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 7PE
4.86 miles
Langho and Billington St Leonards Church of England Primary School
Whalley Road, Langho, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB6 8AB
4.9 miles
Name Distance
Ribblesdale School
Queens Road, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 1EJ
0.55 miles
Bowland High
Riversmead, Sawley Road, Grindleton, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 4QS
2.95 miles
Oakhill School
Wiswell Lane, Whalley, Lancashire, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 9AF
3.28 miles
Stonyhurst College
3.93 miles
St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy
Elker Lane, Billington, Elker Lane, Billington, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 9JA
4.37 miles

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

What is Clitheroe Royal Grammar School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Clitheroe Royal Grammar School is Outstanding, from an inspection in January 2023.

When was Clitheroe Royal Grammar School last inspected by Ofsted?

Clitheroe Royal Grammar School was last inspected in January 2023.

How many pupils does Clitheroe Royal Grammar School have?

Clitheroe Royal Grammar School has 1,496 pupils on roll.

What age range does Clitheroe Royal Grammar School cover?

Clitheroe Royal Grammar School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Clitheroe Royal Grammar School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 70.8, and 99% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Clitheroe Royal Grammar School?

Clitheroe Royal Grammar School is at York Street, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 2DJ.

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