Holmfirth High School

Kirklees · HD9 7SE

General information Secondary School · 11-16 years Who goes here 1328 pupils, 17.6% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted: Outstanding

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 10.7% on SEN support Behaviour 6.6% absence rate Staff 9.1% turnover Financials £8,036 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Holmfirth High School

General Information

Address: Heys Road, Thongsbridge, Holmfirth, HD9 7SE – View on map
Phone: 01484691460
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Ben Stitchman
Age range: 11-16 years
Demand for places (Year 7, September 2026): 256 families put it first for 261 places – 10 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. 2 of the 261 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 11 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 10
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

1328 pupils out of 1330 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 234
% eligible for free school meals: 17.6%
Pupil mix: 2 in 10 (less mixed than the Kirklees average)
English as an additional language: 2% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 9.1% a year (Kirklees 16.9%, typical in England 15.5%) Low turnover
Where they went: about 55% moved to another school, 45% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. "Low turnover" means it's among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Kirklees: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 35 (1.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 2
Suspensions for bullying: 30 (1.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 37 (1.3 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.8)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state secondary schools in Kirklees, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 6.6%
Persistently absent pupils: 15.4%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 10.7%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 2.0%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Other difficulty or disability: 49 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 35 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 21 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 12 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 11 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Social, emotional and mental health: 12 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 5 pupils
Other difficulty or disability: 4 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 3 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Outstanding 2023 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Attainment 8 score: 58.6
Compared with the area: 11.4 points above the Kirklees average (47.2)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well above (+8.8 points against an expected 49.8)
Grade 4+ in English and maths: 86% (Kirklees 67%, England 65%) Broadly steady
Data year: 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

GCSE results over time

This schoolKirklees averageEngland↗ Improving Up 3.3 points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 11.4 points above the Kirklees average (47.2).

About the Attainment 8 score

Attainment 8 measures a pupil's average result across 8 GCSE-equivalent qualifications (English and maths count double). It shows how pupils performed, not how much progress they made getting there - a school with a higher score doesn't necessarily add more value, since pupils often arrive with different starting points. Progress 8 is the measure designed to account for that, but it currently can't be calculated for any school for the two most recent academic years, due to a nationwide gap in the data caused by COVID-19 disruption to Key Stage 2 testing.

2nd of 25 secondary schools in Kirklees for Attainment 8

#1Heckmondwike Grammar School80.2
#2Holmfirth High School58.6
#3Shelley College, A Share Academy51.3
#4Salendine Nook High School50.9

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

Rank School Score

#1Heckmondwike Grammar School80.2
#2Holmfirth High School58.6
#3Shelley College, A Share Academy51.3
#4Salendine Nook High School50.9
#5Honley High School50.6
#6King James's School48.5
#7Manor Croft Academy47.8
#8The Mirfield Free Grammar47.8
#9Batley Girls' High School46.9
#10Castle Hall Academy46.9
#11BBG Academy46.8
#12Royds Hall, A Share Academy46.8
#13Moor End Academy45.9
#14Batley Grammar School45.5
#15All Saints Catholic College44.9
#16Newsome Academy44.1
#17Upper Batley High School44.1
#18Thornhill Community Academy, A Share Academy43.6
#19Whitcliffe Mount, A Share Academy42.7
#20Westborough High School42.6
#21Colne Valley High School42.4
#22Netherhall Learning Campus High School41.0
#23North Huddersfield Trust School35.7
#24Spen Valley High School35.7
#25St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy34.8

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 95.0%
Went into further education: 87.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About leaver destinations

This shows where a school's Year 11 leavers were recorded the following year - in a "sustained" destination means in education, an apprenticeship, or employment for at least 6 months, not just enrolled briefly. It's a different picture from exam results alone, and can highlight schools that support pupils well beyond just their GCSE grades.

GCSE Subjects Offered

Maths (General)
English Language
English Literature
Science Double Award
Business Studies
Chemistry (General)
Physics (General)
Biology
History
Geography
Sports Studies
Engineering Studies
Food Technology
D & T
Religious Studies
Art & Design
Computer Science
Photography
Spanish
German
French Language
Music Studies (General)
Speech & Drama
Dance: General
Polish

About this subject list

This isn't the school's own description of its curriculum - it's real DfE exam entry data, showing which GCSE subjects this school's pupils were actually entered for in 2024/25. A subject not appearing here may still be taught but had no pupils entered that year, so treat this as a helpful guide rather than a complete guarantee - it's worth confirming directly with the school for the year your child would actually study.

View full Ofsted inspection report

1st of 21 secondary schools in Kirklees for Ofsted rating

#1Holmfirth High SchoolOutstanding
#2Moor End AcademyOutstanding
#3All Saints Catholic CollegeGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Holmfirth High SchoolOutstanding
#2Moor End AcademyOutstanding
#3All Saints Catholic CollegeGood
#4BBG AcademyGood
#5Castle Hall AcademyGood
#6Colne Valley High SchoolGood
#7Heckmondwike Grammar SchoolGood
#8Honley High SchoolGood
#9King James's SchoolGood
#10Manor Croft AcademyGood
#11Newsome AcademyGood
#12North Huddersfield Trust SchoolGood
#13Royds Hall, A Share AcademyGood
#14Salendine Nook High SchoolGood
#15Scissett Middle SchoolGood
#16Spen Valley High SchoolGood
#17The Mirfield Free GrammarGood
#18Thornhill Community Academy, A Share AcademyGood
#19Upper Batley High SchoolGood
#20Westborough High SchoolGood
#21Netherhall Learning Campus High SchoolRequires improvement

Financials

Spending per pupil: £8,036 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

9th of 27 secondary schools in Kirklees for spending per pupil

#7Royds Hall, A Share Academy£8,636
#8Spen Valley High School£8,234
#9Holmfirth High School£8,036
#10Upper Batley High School£7,910
#11All Saints Catholic College£7,908

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1North Huddersfield Trust School£10,010
#2Netherhall Learning Campus High School£9,782
#3Newsome Academy£9,719
#4Moor End Academy£9,467
#5Thornhill Community Academy, A Share Academy£8,933
#6Westborough High School£8,898
#7Royds Hall, A Share Academy£8,636
#8Spen Valley High School£8,234
#9Holmfirth High School£8,036
#10Upper Batley High School£7,910
#11All Saints Catholic College£7,908
#12Salendine Nook High School£7,901
#13The Mirfield Free Grammar£7,777
#14Shelley College, A Share Academy£7,707
#15Honley High School£7,666
#16King James's School£7,665
#17Colne Valley High School£7,645
#18Castle Hall Academy£7,514
#19Manor Croft Academy£7,261
#20Batley Girls' High School£7,139
#21Whitcliffe Mount, A Share Academy£7,075
#22Heckmondwike Grammar School£6,911
#23Batley Grammar School£6,871
#24BBG Academy£6,407
#25Scissett Middle School£5,939
#26Kirkburton Middle School£5,757
#27St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy£5,031

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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General Information

Who goes here

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Behaviour

Across Kirklees: suspensions by reason

Attendance

SEN

Most common needs - SEN Support

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Educational Attainment

Attainment 8 ranking

Leaver Destinations ?

GCSE Subjects Offered ?

Ofsted Rating ranking

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered