The North Halifax Grammar School

The North Halifax Grammar School demonstrates a good level of overall effectiveness, providing a supportive and ambitious environment for its pupils. Relationships between students and staff are positive, contributing to a respectful and calm atmosphere conducive to learning. The school excels in its sixth form provision, which is rated as outstanding, with students achieving high academic standards due to expert teaching and clear expectations. The curriculum is well-structured, enabling pupils to build knowledge over time, although there are areas needing improvement in lesson adaptation for maximum pupil progress and consistent support for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Strengths

• High levels of academic and pastoral support for pupils
• Warm and respectful relationships between pupils and staff
• Outstanding sixth form provision with high academic standards
• Ambitious and well-structured curriculum
• Wide range of extra-curricular opportunities that promote character development
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent adaptation of lessons for all pupils to achieve their potential
• Insufficient development of the PSHE programme affecting understanding of fundamental British values

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 The North Halifax Grammar School attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 11.2% 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, 1.8% of pupils at The North Halifax 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 The North Halifax Grammar School had 18.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.8% 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, 13.3% of pupils at The North Halifax 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

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 The North Halifax Grammar School received £7,545 and spent £7,733 for each of its 1,199 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £242,000 (£202 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 Halifax · Calderdale local authority: places and applications

What is The North Halifax Grammar School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The North Halifax Grammar School is Good, from an inspection in December 2023.

When was The North Halifax Grammar School last inspected by Ofsted?

The North Halifax Grammar School was last inspected in December 2023.

How many pupils does The North Halifax Grammar School have?

The North Halifax Grammar School has 1,207 pupils on roll.

What age range does The North Halifax Grammar School cover?

The North Halifax Grammar School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The North Halifax Grammar School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 69.6, and 94% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The North Halifax Grammar School?

The North Halifax Grammar School is at Moorbottom Road, Illingworth, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX2 9SU.