Eckington School

Eckington School is a larger-than-average secondary school that has undergone significant change, including joining Chorus Education Trust and a complete change of leadership. Safeguarding standards are met. Inspectors found the school performing at the expected standard in attendance and behaviour, inclusion, leadership and governance, personal development and wellbeing, and post-16 provision. However, achievement and curriculum and teaching were graded as needing attention. Strengths include calm and orderly behaviour, an inclusive culture with early identification of special educational needs and/or disabilities, effective governance, a strong careers programme, and positive post-16 provision. Pupils feel safe, bullying is uncommon, and support for vulnerable pupils is strong. Attendance is improving for several groups, though not all pupils attend regularly. Concerns centre on inconsistent curriculum delivery and teaching, which leads to uneven achievement across subjects and year groups. Some pupils have gaps in knowledge, including older pupils' reading, writing and understanding of different religions and faiths. Assessment, feedback and adaptive teaching are not consistently applied. Published outcomes in English and maths and Progress 8 are below national averages. Leaders know what needs to improve and are taking steps, but more work is needed.

Strengths

• Pupils behave positively and classrooms are calm and orderly.
• The 'Eckington Way' has strengthened the school's culture and behaviour expectations.
• Pupils feel safe and say bullying is uncommon, with staff responding promptly.
• Leaders have created an inclusive culture where pupils feel understood and supported.
• Staff identify pupils' needs early using information from teachers, parents and external professionals.
• Interventions for reading, handwriting, numeracy and emotional wellbeing are carefully monitored.
• The nurture provision helps pupils manage social, emotional and mental health needs.
• Leaders have clear priorities and have taken effective action to strengthen behaviour, safeguarding and inclusion.
• Governance is knowledgeable and provides appropriate challenge and support.
• Staff receive useful and sustained professional development, with attention to workload.
• The personal development programme helps pupils understand healthy relationships, consent and online safety.
• Enrichment and leadership opportunities are valued and build pupils' confidence.
• Careers education is a strength, with a well-planned programme and personalised guidance.
• Post-16 provision gives students a calm and purposeful place to learn, and they achieve well.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities typically achieve well.
• Attendance for several groups, including disadvantaged pupils, has improved.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement is uneven across subjects and year groups.
• Work in several subjects shows gaps in pupils' knowledge, and understanding does not consistently build securely over time.
• Curriculum implementation is not consistent across all subjects.
• In some lessons, teaching does not build securely on earlier learning.
• Assessment and feedback are not consistently applied so pupils do not always know how to improve.
• Adaptive teaching is not used reliably in all lessons.
• Some older pupils have gaps in important reading and writing knowledge.
• Some older pupils do not have a confident understanding of different religions and faiths.
• Some pupils still need to attend school more regularly, and overall absence is above national average.
• Published outcomes in English and maths and Progress 8 are below national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils' Progress 8 is below national average.
• Leaders need to secure clear expectations for teaching so all staff apply the agreed standards consistently.

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 Eckington School attended 90.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 28.5% 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, 9.8% of pupils at Eckington 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 Eckington School had 19.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.3% 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, 10.6% of pupils at Eckington School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.3% 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 Eckington School received £7,958 and spent £7,726 for each of its 1,152 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £973,000 (£844 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Chorus Education Trust, income was £8,178 and spending £7,978 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 Sheffield · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications

Eckington School is part of Chorus Education Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Westfield School Sheffield
• Hady Primary School Chesterfield
• Silverdale School Sheffield
• Malin Bridge Primary School Sheffield
• Stocksbridge Junior School Sheffield
• Bradwell Junior School Hope Valley
• Hope Valley College Hope Valley

What is Eckington School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Eckington School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Eckington School last inspected by Ofsted?

Eckington School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Eckington School have?

Eckington School has 1,124 pupils on roll.

What age range does Eckington School cover?

Eckington School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Eckington School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 44.1, and 45% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Eckington School?

Eckington School is at Dronfield Road, Sheffield, Derbyshire, S21 4GN.