Risedale School
59%
Capacity
543
Pupils
1.5x
Demand
About Risedale School
Risedale School is a mixed 11-16 secondary in North Yorkshire that currently educates 543 pupils against a capacity of 925, meaning it has significant room to grow. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 33%, which is notably higher than the national average and suggests the school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage. Despite this spare capacity, the school is oversubscribed for 2025/26: it received 134 applications for 92 places, with 69 of those as first preferences and 67 first-preference offers made. That oversubscription ratio of 1.46 indicates genuine local demand, even as the school works to address the challenges flagged in its most recent inspection.
Academically, Risedale’s outcomes are well below the national average. Its Progress 8 score of -0.56 is classified as 'well below average' and places it 35th out of 39 secondary schools in North Yorkshire, compared with a local authority average of +0.07. The Attainment 8 score of 32.3 is also low, and only 17.5% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths. The EBacc entry rate of 40.4% is reasonable, but the proportion achieving the EBacc at grade 5 or above is just 2.6%. In its December 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the school as Requires Improvement across all four key areas — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management — a downgrade from its previous Good rating in 2019.
The school offers a wide range of facilities including a swimming pool, theatre, astro turf, and sports hall, plus clubs like DofE, Model UN, and Young Enterprise. SEND provision covers dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health, speech and language, and autistic spectrum disorder, though the Parent View survey suggests significant dissatisfaction with SEND support — 62% of respondents strongly disagreed that the school gives SEND children the support they need. Only 41% of parents would recommend the school. Risedale is a non-selective, non-religious state school with no sixth form. It may suit families who value its broad extracurricular offer and are comfortable with a school in the early stages of improvement, but those prioritising strong academic outcomes or robust SEND support may want to look at higher-performing local options such as St Francis Xavier School, 3.5 km away.
Key Details
| School Type | Secondary (State) |
| Age Range | 11 to 16 years |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Religious Character | Does not apply |
| Address | Hipswell, Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, DL9 4BD |
| Headteacher | Lucy Greenwood |
| Local Authority | North Yorkshire |
| Number of Pupils | 543 |
| Free School Meals (FSM) | 33.0% |
| School Capacity | 543 / 925 (59% full) |
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
3 Dec 2024Quality of Education
Requires improvement
Since Sep 2024, Ofsted no longer assigns a single overall grade
Source: Ofsted, 20 Jan 2025. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
League Table Position
Based on Progress 8 (-0.56)
2685th of 3,141
Nationally
252nd of 306
In Yorkshire and the Humber
35th of 39
In North Yorkshire
Source: Classpot analysis of DfE Progress 8 data
GCSE Results
2023/24Progress 8 Score
Students make significantly less progress than similar students nationally
Attainment 8 (vs national avg)
Students achieve significantly higher grades than the national average
Source: Department for Education, 2023/24. Progress 8 compares to students with similar Key Stage 2 results.
Where GCSE leavers go
2022/236%
of GCSE leavers stay on for sixth form at this school (cohort: 100 pupils).
- FE college39%
- Sixth form college30%
- Employment11%
- Apprenticeship8%
- School sixth form (stay)6%
- Not sustained5%
94% of leavers had a sustained destination 6 months on.
Source: DfE Compare School & College Performance, KS4 pupil destinations 2022/23 (revised). Only state-funded schools are required to report.
Ofsted Parent View
32 responsesWould Recommend This School
Source: Ofsted Parent View (GOV.UK statistical data), Sep – Sep 2025
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
Facilities
11Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
19Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
Admissions
2025/26Oversubscribed92
134
Balanced
Applications roughly match available places
69 families put this school as their 1st choice (51% of all applications)
Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.
Class profile
2024/25Better than 75% of schools in England.
Better than 75% of schools in England.
Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Pupils & demographics
2024/25Above the national average (25%) — higher-disadvantage intake.
Lower than the national median (10%) — mostly English as first language.
Ethnic background
- White British83.4%
- Asian7.0%
- Mixed3.7%
- Black1.5%
- White (other)0.6%
Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.
Attendance & Behaviour
2024/2575% of schools in England do better than this.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
A pupil temporarily sent home for behaviour.
Like most schools in England, no pupils were permanently excluded this year.
Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.
Catchment & Local Competition
No catchment data published for this school
The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.
⚠ This school is oversubscribed — without published cutoff data we can't show how far places reach. Check your council's admissions page.
Schools within 1 mile (reference area)
1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.
7
Total schools
7
Oversubscribed
6
Primary
Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Risedale School
Helpful Guides for Parents
Ofsted Ratings Explained
Understand the 4 Ofsted ratings and what they mean
Understanding Progress 8
Learn how Progress 8 measures pupil progress from primary to GCSE
SEN & EHCP: A Parent's Guide
Understanding SEN support, EHC Plans and your legal rights
Understanding School Catchment Areas
How admission distances work and tips for maximising your choices
Contact Information
Hipswell, Catterick Garrison
North Yorkshire, DL9 4BD
Journey to School
Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.
Opening Hours
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