Colne Valley High School

Colne Valley High School has shown notable improvement since its last inspection, moving from requiring improvement to a good rating in all areas assessed. The new principal has implemented significant changes that have positively affected the school culture, contributing to improved behavior and learning. Parents and pupils express high confidence in leadership, and there are positive relationships between students and staff, alongside effective safeguarding measures.

Strengths

• High level of confidence in school leadership.
• Improved behavior and learning environment.
• Effective inclusion of students with special educational needs.
• Strong relationships between staff and pupils.
• Good curriculum planning in most subjects.
• Wide range of extra-curricular activities.

Areas for Improvement

• GCSE outcomes in some subjects are lower than expected.
• Planning gaps in weaker subjects need to be addressed.

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 Colne Valley High School attended 91.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 22.7% 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, 10.1% of pupils at Colne Valley High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 4 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 Colne Valley High School had 21.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 29.7% 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, 18.5% of pupils at Colne Valley High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.1% 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 Colne Valley High School received £8,417 and spent £8,479 for each of its 1,442 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,894,000 (£1,313 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Great Heights Academy Trust, income was £8,616 and spending £8,424 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 Huddersfield · Kirklees local authority: places and applications

Colne Valley High School is part of Great Heights Academy Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Nields Academy Huddersfield
• Marsden Junior School Huddersfield
• Bowling Green Academy Halifax
• West Vale Academy Halifax
• The Greetland Academy Halifax
• The Mirfield Free Grammar Mirfield
• Carlinghow Academy Batley
• Raynville Academy Leeds

What is Colne Valley High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Colne Valley High School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Colne Valley High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Colne Valley High School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Colne Valley High School have?

Colne Valley High School has 1,360 pupils on roll.

What age range does Colne Valley High School cover?

Colne Valley High School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Colne Valley High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 40.8, and 39% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Colne Valley High School?

Colne Valley High School is at Gillroyd Lane, Linthwaite, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD7 5SP.