Harrogate High School

About Harrogate High School

Harrogate High School sits within the North Yorkshire local authority, where it ranks 32nd out of 39 secondary schools on Progress 8, placing it in the bottom half of the county. The top-performing peers in the area include St Francis Xavier School, St Aidan's Church of England High School, and Ripon Grammar School, all of which achieve significantly stronger academic scores. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is Harrogate Grammar School, just 2.5 kilometres away. Harrogate High itself is a mixed, non-denominational state secondary for pupils aged 11 to 16, with no sixth form. It has a capacity of 750 and currently enrols 672 pupils, with 32 per cent eligible for free school meals, well above the national average. The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26 entry, receiving 217 applications for 73 places, with 52 first-preference offers made. Headteacher Sukhraj Gill leads a school that, in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, was rated Requires Improvement across all categories, including leadership, behaviour, and personal development.

Academically, the school's Progress 8 score of -0.46 is classified as below average and sits well below the North Yorkshire average of 0.07. Pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 36.1, and just 25.9 per cent secured a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, compared with 46 per cent at grade 4 or above. The EBacc average point score was 3.08, with only 6.5 per cent of pupils achieving the EBacc at grade 5 or above, and 35.3 per cent entering the EBacc combination of subjects. Progress in English was -0.35, in maths -0.41, and in the EBacc subjects -0.57, all negative. The school ranks in the bottom 50 nationally on Progress 8, at 2,548th out of 3,141 schools. In the Parent View survey, 71 per cent of respondents would recommend the school, and 79 per cent agreed their child feels safe. However, only 50 per cent agreed that behaviour is good, and just 36 per cent felt concerns are dealt with properly.

The school offers a wide range of facilities including science labs, a sports hall, theatre, library, astro turf, and music rooms, plus clubs such as choir, chess, debate, drama, and eco club. Sports on offer include cricket, netball, basketball, hockey, rowing, and athletics. SEND provisions cover a broad spectrum, including support for autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health, and physical disabilities. However, no parents responded to the SEND-specific question in the Parent View survey, so feedback on that area is unavailable. The school is oversubscribed nearly three to one, so families applying will need to be aware of the competition for places. Given its Requires Improvement rating and below-average outcomes, this school may suit families who value its inclusive SEND offer and broad extracurricular programme, but who are prepared to engage closely with the school as it works to address the areas identified by Ofsted.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Harrogate High School

Helpful Guides for Parents