Headlands School

About Headlands School

Headlands School sits within the East Riding of Yorkshire local authority, a large mixed secondary with a sixth form that serves just over a thousand pupils. In terms of academic progress, the school ranks 14th out of 18 state secondaries in the area, placing it in the bottom half of the local league table. The top-performing peers in the authority include Goole Academy, South Hunsley School and Sixth Form College, and Woldgate School and Sixth Form College, all of which post stronger Progress 8 scores. Headlands’ own Progress 8 score of -0.35 is below the local authority average of -0.13, meaning that, on average, pupils here make less progress from their starting points than their peers across the East Riding. The school is led by headteacher Sarah Bone and was rated Good by Ofsted in its most recent inspection in 2021, a notable improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2018.

At Key Stage 4, Headlands’ Attainment 8 score sits at 40.3, and 58.7% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths, dropping to 42.4% at grade 5 or above. The EBacc entry rate is low at 6.5%, and only 3.8% of pupils achieved the full EBacc at grade 4 or above. Progress in maths is close to the national average, with a Progress 8 maths score of -0.03, but English progress is weaker at -0.37. In the sixth form, the picture is mixed: the school’s value-added score of -0.24 is rated below average, and the average points per entry of 29.88 equates to a grade C. Just 4.3% of entries achieved AAB or higher. The sixth form is small, with 34 pupils included in the data, and the best three A-levels averaged a grade C. Compared with the local authority average, Headlands’ outcomes are broadly lower, though the school’s Ofsted report notes Good provision across all categories, including behaviour, personal development, and leadership.

The school is oversubscribed for Year 7 entry in 2025/26, with 217 applications for 187 places and all first-preference applicants receiving an offer. Facilities are strong for a state school, including a swimming pool, theatre, astro turf, science labs, and a sixth form centre. Sports provision is wide, covering football, rugby, netball, swimming, and athletics, while clubs range from the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and Young Enterprise to orchestra and debate. Headlands also offers a broad range of SEND support, including resourced provision for autistic spectrum disorder, specific learning difficulties, and social, emotional and mental health needs. This is a school that has improved its Ofsted rating in recent years and offers solid facilities and a full range of extracurriculars, but families should weigh the below-average academic progress against the practical strengths and the fact that it is a genuinely popular choice locally.

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