Rossett School

Rossett School is a mixed 11–18 academy converter within the Red Kite Learning Trust. Following its previous inspection, during which it was judged to require improvement, the school has changed headteacher and joined a new multi-academy trust. In this inspection it was judged good across the areas inspected, including sixth-form provision, and safeguarding arrangements were found to be effective. Pupils are described as happy, safe and well supported in a welcoming and inclusive school. Behaviour has improved over time and most pupils respond well to the school’s values and bespoke behaviour curriculum, creating a calm and orderly environment. Teaching is generally strong, with clear explanations, effective modelling and regular checks on understanding; sixth-form students benefit from expert subject teaching and a broad post-16 curriculum. Reading, personal development, careers education and extra-curricular opportunities are also notable strengths, and parents and staff praise the pastoral care. The main areas for improvement concern the recently restructured pastoral team, whose work is not yet fully embedded. Attendance remains below national levels, including in the sixth form, and suspensions remain high for some pupils. Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is not consistently precise enough: some strategies lack measurable outcomes, and in-class support does not always account sharply enough for individual pupils’ needs.

Strengths

• Happy, welcoming and inclusive school culture where pupils feel safe and supported
• Calm and orderly learning environment with improved pupil behaviour
• High expectations for achievement, with outcomes in line with national and improving
• Strong teaching that uses clear explanations, effective modelling and regular checks on understanding
• Expert sixth-form teaching that identifies and addresses misconceptions perceptively
• Effective whole-school focus on reading, including targeted support and reading for pleasure
• Broad and well-designed personal development curriculum that supports mature discussion
• Wide extra-curricular offer including trips, foreign exchanges, Duke of Edinburgh and student council
• Strong careers education and guidance across all years, including post-18 pathways
• Pastoral care is highly regarded by parents and staff
• Effective support and challenge from governance and trust leaders
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• The restructured pastoral support team is not yet fully embedded
• Attendance is below national levels, including in the sixth form
• Suspensions remain high for some pupils
• Targeted pastoral support has not yet demonstrably improved engagement for a small minority of harder-to-reach pupils
• Some SEND support strategies lack specific or measurable outcomes
• In-class support for pupils with SEND is not always sharp enough or tailored to individual needs
• Staff are sometimes unclear about how best to support pupils with SEND to progress

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 Rossett School attended 89.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 27.5% 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, 7.5% of pupils at Rossett 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 Rossett School had 15.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.2% 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, 14.4% of pupils at Rossett School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.3% 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 Rossett School received £9,643 and spent £9,749 for each of its 796 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,110,000 (£1,394 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

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

• Rossett Acre Primary School Harrogate
• Harrogate Grammar School Harrogate
• Western Primary 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
• Meadowfield Primary School Leeds
• Temple Learning Academy Leeds

What is Rossett School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Rossett School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Rossett School last inspected by Ofsted?

Rossett School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Rossett School have?

Rossett School has 785 pupils on roll.

What age range does Rossett School cover?

Rossett School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Rossett School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 47.2, and 48% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Rossett School?

Rossett School is at Green Lane, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG2 9JP.