Richmond School & Sixth Form College

Richmond School & Sixth Form College is performing well overall, with a strong standard of education reflected in the quality of teaching and student outcomes. Leaders have implemented effective programs that support independence and career readiness, especially for sixth form students. The school exhibits a positive culture for safeguarding and has effective systems in place to support students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), ensuring they achieve alongside their peers. However, despite many strengths, there is an ongoing focus on improving attendance, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, along with addressing the rates of suspensions for a minority of students.

Strengths

• High-quality study programmes in the sixth form.
• Strong progress and achievement among disadvantaged pupils.
• Effective safeguarding practices that ensure student safety.
• Engaging personal development programme that prepares pupils for life beyond school.
• Positive relationships between staff and students.
• A calm and orderly learning environment with clear behaviour policies.

Areas for Improvement

• Minority of pupils, particularly those with SEND, experience high rates of suspension.
• Some inconsistencies in reading interventions lead to slower progress for certain pupils.
• Need for improved attendance rates for disadvantaged pupils and SEND students.

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 Richmond School & Sixth Form College attended 92.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 21.0% 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, 8.0% of pupils at Richmond School & Sixth Form College were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 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 Richmond School & Sixth Form College had 29.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 48.5% 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, 16.2% of pupils at Richmond School & Sixth Form College were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.6% 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 Richmond School & Sixth Form College received £7,217 and spent £7,277 for each of its 1,290 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £613,000 (£475 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of Areté Learning Trust, income was £7,175 and spending £7,249 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 Richmond · North Yorkshire local authority: places and applications

Richmond School & Sixth Form College is part of Areté Learning Trust, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• Broomfield School Northallerton
• Northallerton School & Sixth Form College Northallerton
• Mill Hill Primary School Northallerton
• Stokesley School Stokesley
• Nunthorpe School & Sixth Form Middlesbrough
• Helmsley Community Primary School York
• Ryedale School York
• Kirkbymoorside Community Primary School York
• Sinnington Community Primary School York
• Norton School Malton

What is Richmond School & Sixth Form College's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Richmond School & Sixth Form College is Expected standard, from an inspection in April 2026.

When was Richmond School & Sixth Form College last inspected by Ofsted?

Richmond School & Sixth Form College was last inspected in April 2026.

How many pupils does Richmond School & Sixth Form College have?

Richmond School & Sixth Form College has 1,315 pupils on roll.

What age range does Richmond School & Sixth Form College cover?

Richmond School & Sixth Form College for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Richmond School & Sixth Form College's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 46.7, and 45% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Richmond School & Sixth Form College?

Richmond School & Sixth Form College is at Darlington Road, Richmond, North Yorkshire, DL10 7BQ.