Lancaster Royal Grammar School

Lancaster Royal Grammar School is a high-performing school with a co-educational sixth form, operating as a single academy trust. This full section 5 inspection found that safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive safeguarding culture. Leaders have created an exceptional culture around attendance, behaviour and personal development: pupils attend above national averages, behave very well, and bullying, discrimination and abusive behaviour are exceptionally rare. Pupils benefit from a highly proactive personal development programme, extensive extra-curricular opportunities and highly effective careers guidance. Academic achievement, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and post-16 provision are all strong. GCSE attainment and progress are consistently above national averages, including for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders identify needs early, remove barriers to learning and use additional funding effectively. The sixth form is ambitious, with students achieving above national averages and progressing to ambitious destinations. Trustees are experienced and committed, staff wellbeing is prioritised, and leaders share effective practice with other schools. The main area for development is that in a minority of lessons, staff do not adapt their practice as effectively as leaders expect. Otherwise, the inspection found no significant weaknesses. Leaders should sustain the exceptional attendance, behaviour and personal development provision while continuing to build on the strong curriculum and teaching.

Strengths

• Attendance is above the national average and has been over time.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND attend better than similar pupils nationally.
• Pupils behave exceptionally well in a calm, warm and respectful environment.
• Bullying, discrimination and abusive behaviour are exceptionally rare.
• Personal development programme is highly proactive and prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• Extensive extra-curricular programme is accessible to all, including pupils with physical disabilities.
• Careers guidance is highly effective and supports pupils to reach ambitious destinations.
• Pupils achieve consistently above-average attainment and progress at key stage 4.
• Disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND progress through the curriculum in line with their peers.
• Curriculum is well sequenced and helps pupils build knowledge effectively over time.
• Teachers use secure subject knowledge and positive relationships to engage pupils.
• Literacy and mathematics gaps are identified early and addressed with personalised support.
• Inclusion systems identify needs early and provide tailored support, including weekly reviews for pupils with EHC plans.
• Leadership and governance are highly effective, with strong staff wellbeing and external partnership work.
• Post-16 provision is ambitious, with above-average attainment and strong progression to ambitious destinations.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture in which concerns are actively identified and managed.

Areas for Improvement

• In a minority of lessons, staff do not adapt their practice as effectively as leaders expect.

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 Lancaster Royal Grammar School attended 93.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 18.0% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Lancaster Royal 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 Lancaster Royal Grammar School had 17.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.2% 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, 5.4% of pupils at Lancaster Royal Grammar School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.0% 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 Lancaster Royal Grammar School received £9,543 and spent £9,398 for each of its 1,290 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £605,000 (£469 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.

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• Secondary Schools

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What is Lancaster Royal Grammar School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lancaster Royal Grammar School is Strong standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Lancaster Royal Grammar School last inspected by Ofsted?

Lancaster Royal Grammar School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Lancaster Royal Grammar School have?

Lancaster Royal Grammar School has 1,294 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lancaster Royal Grammar School cover?

Lancaster Royal Grammar School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Lancaster Royal Grammar School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 71.6, and 94% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Lancaster Royal Grammar School?

Lancaster Royal Grammar School is at East Road, Lancaster, Lancashire, LA1 3EF.