Ribblesdale School

About Ribblesdale School

Ribblesdale School’s headline Progress 8 score of -0.25 sits below the Lancashire local authority average of -0.11 for secondary schools, placing it in the bottom half of the 90 state secondaries in the county. That gap of 0.14 might not sound enormous, but it means the typical pupil here leaves with about a quarter of a grade less per subject than peers across the LA. The school ranks 47th out of 90 in Lancashire, and 6th out of 6 schools in the Ribble Valley borough — the lowest in its immediate area. Its Attainment 8 score of 43.2 is modest, and only 41.4% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths (the stronger measure), compared with 61.4% at the standard 4+ threshold. The school’s EBacc average point score of 3.57 and low EBacc entry rate of 17.1% suggest a curriculum that doesn’t push the full suite of academic subjects for most students.

Ofsted’s most recent inspection in July 2025 judged the school Good overall, though notably it was a graded inspection that did not assign an overall effectiveness rating — the report instead gave Good for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership, while personal development was rated Outstanding. That’s a shift from the previous inspection in February 2020, which also rated overall effectiveness Good but had personal development at Outstanding then too. The Progress 8 banding is officially ‘Below average’, with maths dragging hardest at -0.45, while English and open subjects are closer to the national average at -0.08 each. The school’s parent view, based on 569 responses between September 2024 and September 2025, is broadly positive: 90% would recommend the school, and 90% agree or strongly agree that their child is happy. Strong majorities also feel the school has high expectations and that their child does well.

Ribblesdale is a large all-through school for ages 4 to 16, with no sixth form, and it’s heavily oversubscribed: 728 applications for 271 places in 2025/26, a ratio of 2.69 applicants per place, with 258 first-preference applications for 252 offers. Facilities include a theatre, astro turf, science labs, art studios, and a chapel, and the sports offer is broad — hockey, rugby, netball, martial arts, and more. SEND provision covers eight categories including dyslexia, autism, and speech and language needs, though 18% of parents responding have a child with SEND, and 22% of those disagreed that the school gives them the support they need. With 15.7% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a reasonably diverse intake for the area. This is a school that suits families who value a strong community feel and broad extracurricular offer over top-tier academic results, and who are comfortable with a below-average Progress 8 score in exchange for a Good Ofsted rating and strong parent satisfaction.

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