North Huddersfield Trust School

North Huddersfield Trust School is a larger-than-average secondary school serving a community with well-above-average deprivation and a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals. This full inspection found the school performing at the expected standard in most areas, with safeguarding standards met. Pupils are proud of their diverse community, behave well, and attend regularly; the school has a calm, purposeful culture, an ambitious curriculum, strong inclusion, effective leadership and governance, and a rich personal development and careers programme. However, achievement is the clear area needing attention. Pupils' attainment in national tests and examinations has not been consistently high enough, progress and attainment measures are below national averages, and not enough pupils gain the qualifications needed for their next steps. Some pupils have gaps in basic skills, persistent absence remains above national levels, and provision for pupils with SEND is not consistently precise because individual support plans are not always used effectively. Leaders are reflective and have taken the right actions to improve curriculum, teaching and attendance, with early signs of positive impact. Inspectors also considered the school's response to a serious incident involving a former pupil, though Ofsted cannot investigate such incidents. The next steps are to continue embedding curriculum and teaching improvements, especially in core subjects, and to ensure SEND support plans are used consistently so all pupils make better progress.

Strengths

• Pupils are proud of their diverse school community and respect each other.
• Behaviour is calm and purposeful, and lessons are free from disruption.
• Bullying, unkind language and harassment are very rare.
• Attendance is in line with or above national averages over time.
• The curriculum is ambitious, broad, balanced and carefully sequenced.
• Teaching is generally effective, with secure subject knowledge and clear explanations.
• Inclusion is at the centre of the school's work, with targeted support for SEND and vulnerable pupils.
• Leaders use additional funding effectively to support disadvantaged pupils.
• Leadership is reflective, with a clear understanding of school improvement priorities.
• Governors provide effective support and challenge and fulfil their statutory duties.
• Staff feel well supported and leaders consider workload and wellbeing.
• The personal development programme is rich and prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• The careers programme is a significant strength, offering personalised advice and meaningful workplace encounters.
• Pupils benefit from extensive enrichment and meaningful leadership opportunities.
• Pupils feel safe and well cared for, with a trusted adult to turn to.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve as well as other disadvantaged pupils nationally.
• Destinations after 16 are in line with national averages.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' attainment in national tests and examinations has not consistently been as high as it could be.
• Not enough pupils gain the important qualifications they need for their next stage of education, employment or training.
• Some pupils have gaps in basic skills that hinder their achievement.
• Progress 8 and Attainment 8 are below national averages.
• GCSE English and maths grade 5 or above is below national averages.
• Persistent absence is above the national average.
• Leaders know there is more to do to support pupils with the lowest levels of attendance.
• Some teachers do not make effective use of individual support plans to adapt teaching for pupils with SEND.
• Leaders are unsure of the impact of extra support for some pupils with SEND.
• Some support strategies in lessons are more effective than others.
• Achievement in core subjects needs further improvement.

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 North Huddersfield Trust School attended 90.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 27.9% 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, 12.4% of pupils at North Huddersfield Trust School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 North Huddersfield Trust School had 14.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.0% 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, 17.4% of pupils at North Huddersfield Trust School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.8% 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 North Huddersfield Trust School received £10,695 and spent £10,872 for each of its 995 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,172,000 (£1,178 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 Huddersfield · Kirklees local authority: places and applications

What is North Huddersfield Trust School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for North Huddersfield Trust School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was North Huddersfield Trust School last inspected by Ofsted?

North Huddersfield Trust School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does North Huddersfield Trust School have?

North Huddersfield Trust School has 995 pupils on roll.

What age range does North Huddersfield Trust School cover?

North Huddersfield Trust School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are North Huddersfield Trust School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 36.3, and 31% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is North Huddersfield Trust School?

North Huddersfield Trust School is at Woodhouse Hall Road, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD2 1DJ.