Holderness Academy

Holderness Academy and Sixth Form College has improved markedly since its previous inspection and is now judged good across the areas inspected. Pupils benefit from a welcoming, inclusive school with high expectations, a largely disruption-free environment and an ambitious curriculum that has been overhauled in many subjects. Staff know their subjects well, reading support is a particular priority, and pupils' personal development is strengthened by embedded ARRK values and effective safeguarding. Sixth-form students receive strong support and move on to ambitious destinations, although the sixth form is due to close at the end of this academic year and currently has Year 13 only. The school is part of The Consortium Academy Trust and has a resourced provision for pupils with autism. Leaders, governors and the trust have an accurate view of the school's strengths and areas for development, and relationships with parents have improved. Staff report that workload and well-being are prioritised. However, the improvements are not yet fully reflected in published outcomes. Provision for pupils with SEND is much improved and pupils access the same ambitious curriculum, but some staff do not implement support plans well enough or adapt learning precisely, so some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as their peers. Personal development is generally strong, with pupils learning how to stay safe, build healthy relationships and look after their physical and mental health. However, learning about other faiths and cultures is inconsistent, particularly in key stage 4, leaving pupils without the breadth of knowledge needed for meaningful discussion in this area. Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Strengths

• Welcoming and inclusive school culture
• High expectations for what pupils can achieve
• Largely disruption-free learning environment
• Bullying and discrimination are rare
• ARRK values are embedded across school life
• Staff are skilled and caring when pupils make mistakes
• Ambitious curriculum with strong key stage 3 foundations
• Teachers have strong subject knowledge and explain learning clearly
• Effective reading support using precise diagnostic tools
• Vibrant library and well-chosen texts promote reading for pleasure
• SEND provision is greatly improved and pupils access the same ambitious curriculum
• Sixth-form students receive strong support and reach ambitious destinations
• Student council and trust-wide opportunities help pupils bring about change
• Leaders, governors and trust have an accurate view of strengths and areas for development
• Parent relationships and staff well-being have improved
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Some staff do not implement SEND support plans well enough
• Support for pupils with SEND is occasionally too generic
• Some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as their peers
• Learning about other faiths and cultures is inconsistent, especially in key stage 4
• Pupils lack secure breadth of knowledge about faiths and cultures in modern Britain
• Improved pupil experience is not yet fully reflected in published outcomes

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 Holderness Academy attended 92.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 19.7% 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, 9.5% of pupils at Holderness Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 6 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 Holderness Academy had 16.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.9% 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, 8.9% of pupils at Holderness Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 16 pupils.

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 Holderness Academy received £7,912 and spent £8,053 for each of its 990 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,676,000 (£1,693 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of The Consortium Academy Trust, income was £7,965 and spending £8,016 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 Hull · East Riding of Yorkshire local authority: places and applications

Holderness Academy is part of The Consortium Academy Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Oakfield School Hull
• Keyingham Primary School Kingston-Upon-Hull
• Winifred Holtby Academy Hull
• Croxby Primary School Hull
• Cottingham High School Cottingham
• Wolfreton School and Sixth Form College Hull
• Hessle High School and Penshurst Primary School Hessle
• Howden School Goole

What is Holderness Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Holderness Academy is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Holderness Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Holderness Academy was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Holderness Academy have?

Holderness Academy has 906 pupils on roll.

What age range does Holderness Academy cover?

Holderness Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Holderness Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 46.0, and 47% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Holderness Academy?

Holderness Academy is at Station Road, Preston, Hull, HU12 8UZ.