Howden School

Howden School has improved markedly since its previous inspection and is now judged good across the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. Inspectors describe a transformational journey, with the school's values of Aspiration, Courtesy and Excellence woven through daily life. Pupils are respectful, calm and purposeful, feel safe, and behaviour has improved significantly, including a reduction in sexualised language. The school has high academic expectations, although published outcomes last year did not yet reflect these; current work and pupils' recall show better achievement.

Strengths

• A respectful and aspirational culture underpinned by the school's values
• Pupils conduct themselves well and classrooms are calm and purposeful
• An ambitious curriculum that is well sequenced and builds knowledge over time
• Reading is a priority, with effective support and interventions for struggling pupils
• Pupils with SEND are identified effectively and supported consistently, including in the resource provision
• Attendance processes are rigorous and attendance has improved over time
• The new behaviour policy is applied consistently and behaviour has improved significantly
• Personal development is a strength, including British values, online safety and careers education
• Pupils access a range of leadership roles that build a sense of community
• Trustees and the local governing body provide strong oversight and support
• Staff workload is considered and staff are proud to work at the school
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, especially at key stage 3, checking of what pupils know is not rigorous enough
• Key stage 3 knowledge gaps are not always identified and can persist
• Assessment and addressing of misconceptions are less consistent in key stage 3 than key stage 4
• Published outcomes last year did not reflect the school's high academic expectations

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 Howden School attended 93.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.8% 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, 9.9% of pupils at Howden School 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 Howden School had 18.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.1% 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, 12.7% of pupils at Howden School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 4 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 Howden School received £7,989 and spent £8,037 for each of its 678 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £820,000 (£1,209 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 Goole · East Riding of Yorkshire local authority: places and applications

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

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

What is Howden School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Howden School last inspected by Ofsted?

Howden School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Howden School have?

Howden School has 699 pupils on roll.

What age range does Howden School cover?

Howden School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Howden School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 48.3, and 49% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Howden School?

Howden School is at Derwent Road, Howden, Goole, DN14 7AL.