Nidderdale High School

Nidderdale High School is a small secondary school in Pateley Bridge, part of Moorlands Learning Trust. It has been judged to be operating at the expected standard overall, with safeguarding standards met. Leaders’ strong focus on belonging and inclusion has driven improvements, particularly in attendance, and pupils generally behave well and feel safe. The school has a broad curriculum, effective leadership and governance, and a well-designed personal development programme. Notable strengths include the support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, whose proportions are well above average, and the positive relationships across the school. Attendance is improving, including for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. However, achievement is the area that needs attention. A significant minority of pupils have gaps in reading and writing, which hinders their progress and means the quality of their work is variable. Teaching checks on learning and feedback are not consistently effective, and some literacy strategies are recent and not fully embedded. Disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes also lag behind national averages. The next steps for leaders are to ensure pupils develop secure foundational knowledge and skills, especially in reading and writing; to make teaching consistently meet pupils’ needs through effective checks and clear improvement guidance; and to apply behaviour expectations consistently. The school benefits from a knowledgeable trust and local governing body, and staff feel valued. Overall, this is a school with clear strengths and a good capacity to improve, but it must address the gaps in achievement for some pupils.

Strengths

• Strong focus on pupil belonging and inclusion.
• Attendance is improving, including for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Pupils generally behave well and feel safe; bullying is rare and dealt with effectively.
• Broad and appropriate curriculum with secure teacher subject knowledge.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND and additional needs.
• Clear leadership and governance with a shared drive for achievement for all.
• Well-designed personal development programme with rich extra-curricular and community opportunities.
• Useful careers advice and guidance, including work experience.
• Effective use of pupil premium to support literacy.
• Positive and caring relationships between staff and pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement requires improvement; a significant minority of pupils have gaps in reading and writing.
• Pupils’ work is variable in quality and does not consistently reflect leaders’ high expectations.
• Checks on learning and feedback are not consistently effective across subjects and year groups.
• Some literacy and handwriting strategies are recent and not fully embedded.
• Behaviour expectations are not always applied consistently by staff.
• Disadvantaged pupils’ attainment and progress lag behind national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils’ English and maths GCSE grade 5 or above is well below the national average.
• Some pupils in older year groups still have gaps in literacy.

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 Nidderdale High School attended 90.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 26.3% 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, 7.8% of pupils at Nidderdale High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No 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 Nidderdale High School had 15.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.4% 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, 19.8% of pupils at Nidderdale High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 8.9% 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 Nidderdale High School received £9,126 and spent £9,390 for each of its 396 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £72,000 (-£181 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Moorlands Learning Trust, income was £5,833 and spending £5,918 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 Harrogate · North Yorkshire local authority: places and applications

Nidderdale High School is part of Moorlands Learning Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Ashlands Primary School Ilkley
• Ben Rhydding Primary School Ilkley
• Ilkley Grammar School Ilkley
• Burley Oaks Primary School Ilkley
• The Skipton Academy Skipton
• Menston Primary School Ilkley
• Eastburn Primary School Keighley
• Benton Park School Leeds
• Talbot Primary School Leeds

What is Nidderdale High School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Nidderdale High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Nidderdale High School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Nidderdale High School have?

Nidderdale High School has 404 pupils on roll.

What age range does Nidderdale High School cover?

Nidderdale High School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Nidderdale High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 39.2, and 23% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Nidderdale High School?

Nidderdale High School is at Low Wath Road, Pateley Bridge, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG3 5HL.