York High School

York High School is performing well overall, receiving a 'Good' rating in all inspection categories. The school has established a positive and supportive environment where both pupils and staff feel safe and valued. Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes towards learning, and there are clear expectations set for behavior. The school offers a broad curriculum designed to cater to all students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. Additionally, staff development is prioritized to ensure high-quality curriculum delivery, while extra-curricular activities enrich students' personal development.

Strengths

• Ambitious curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.
• Strong focus on personal development with a wide range of extra-curricular activities.
• Effective behavior management strategies create a calm learning environment.
• Supportive and well-trained staff that know pupils well.
• High profile given to reading, ensuring all pupils engage with diverse literature.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance remains low, with persistent absence negatively impacting learning.
• Some opportunities to build on prior knowledge are not fully utilized by teachers.

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 York High School attended 84.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 39.0% 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, 15.9% of pupils at York 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 York High School had 18.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.9% 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, 19.5% of pupils at York High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.9% 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 York High School received £8,703 and spent £8,328 for each of its 751 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £180,000 (£240 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Excel Learning Trust, income was £7,165 and spending £7,076 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 York · York local authority: places and applications

York High School is part of Excel Learning Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Woodthorpe Primary School York
• Carr Junior School York
• Millthorpe School York
• Scarcroft Primary School York
• Knavesmire Primary School York

What is York High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for York High School is Good, from an inspection in November 2022.

When was York High School last inspected by Ofsted?

York High School was last inspected in November 2022.

How many pupils does York High School have?

York High School has 750 pupils on roll.

What age range does York High School cover?

York High School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are York High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 38.8, and 40% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is York High School?

York High School is at Cornlands Road, York, North Yorkshire, YO24 3WZ.