Harrogate Grammar School

Harrogate Grammar School is a large secondary school and sixth form within Red Kite Learning Trust, serving a relatively advantaged catchment with above-average SEN support and low free school meal eligibility. Inspectors found it performs strongly overall: pupils, including those with SEND, achieve highly over time and are exceptionally well prepared for national tests and examinations. Sixth-form provision is a particular strength, with achievement consistently above national averages and students progressing to ambitious destinations. Behaviour and personal development are also notable strengths. Pupils are respectful, calm and proud of their school, bullying is rare, and they benefit from a wide range of enrichment, house activities, careers education and pastoral support. Disadvantaged pupils are increasingly well supported, and published outcomes show gaps narrowing. Safeguarding standards are met. There are still areas to refine. Persistent absence is too high for some pupils, especially those with SEND and those receiving free school meals, although leaders are tackling this. Teaching is typically effective but not consistently embedded across all subjects, and some personal development lessons do not deepen pupils' knowledge securely. Leaders and governors also need sharper evaluation and quality assurance so that impact is captured clearly and priorities are consistently identified and acted on.

Strengths

• Pupils, including those with SEND, achieve highly over time and are exceptionally well prepared for national tests and examinations.
• Sixth-form students achieve consistently above national averages and progress to ambitious destinations.
• Disadvantaged pupils benefit from effective interventions, holiday schools and narrowing outcome gaps.
• Pupils' behaviour is impressive in lessons and around school, with respectful relationships and rare bullying.
• Reading and numeracy are prioritised effectively, with timely, tiered support for pupils who need extra help.
• Inclusion support is effective, including the student advocate scheme, the Phoenix Centre and the learning support base.
• Careers education is a strength, with an ambitious programme, university visits, work experience and bespoke guidance.
• Pupils enjoy a wide range of enrichment, trips, sports, clubs and a thriving house system.
• High-quality pastoral care ensures pupils feel safe, valued and well supported.
• Staff speak highly of the school, value leaders' support and benefit from effective professional development.
• Governance and trust arrangements are well understood, and parents are positive about the school.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture and concerns actively managed.

Areas for Improvement

• Persistent absence remains too high for some pupils, particularly those with SEND and those receiving free school meals.
• Teaching is typically effective but not consistently embedded across all subjects and for all pupils.
• Some learning activities, including in 'the big picture' personal development lessons, do not consistently deepen and extend pupils' knowledge.
• Personal development provision does not yet ensure secure and detailed knowledge across the full curriculum, including citizenship.
• Evaluation processes do not always capture impact clearly across all areas of school work.
• Quality assurance procedures are not consistently precise enough to identify all issues.
• The student advocate scheme for pupils with SEND is at an early stage of development.

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 Harrogate Grammar School attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 19.0% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Harrogate Grammar 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 Harrogate Grammar School had 19.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.9% 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, 8.2% of pupils at Harrogate Grammar School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.0% 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 2024–25 Harrogate Grammar School received £9,280 and spent £9,043 for each of its 2,071 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,764,000 (£852 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of Red Kite Learning Trust, income was £8,002 and spending £7,952 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). 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.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Harrogate · North Yorkshire local authority: places and applications

Harrogate Grammar School is part of Red Kite Learning Trust, which runs 16 schools. The nearest others:

• Rossett Acre Primary School Harrogate
• Western Primary School Harrogate
• Rossett School Harrogate
• Oatlands Community Junior School Harrogate
• Coppice Valley Primary School Harrogate
• Saltergate Junior School Harrogate
• Saltergate Infant School Harrogate
• Templenewsam Halton Primary School Leeds
• Temple Learning Academy Leeds
• Meadowfield Primary School Leeds

What is Harrogate Grammar School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Harrogate Grammar School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Harrogate Grammar School last inspected by Ofsted?

Harrogate Grammar School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Harrogate Grammar School have?

Harrogate Grammar School has 2,081 pupils on roll.

What age range does Harrogate Grammar School cover?

Harrogate Grammar School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Harrogate Grammar School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 56.0, and 63% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Harrogate Grammar School?

Harrogate Grammar School is at Arthurs Avenue, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG2 0DZ.