Thirsk School & Sixth Form College

General Information

Address: Topcliffe Road, Sowerby, Thirsk, YO7 1RZ
Phone: 01845522024
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Miss Emma Lambden
Age range: 11-18 years
Sixth form: Yes
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Number of pupils: 1029
School capacity: 1255
Pupils eligible for free school meals: 200
% eligible for free school meals: 22.5%
Nursery provision: No

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.

Behaviour information for this school has not been added yet.

Attendance

Overall absence: 9.2%
Persistently absent pupils: 25.1%
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.

SEN provision information for this school has not been added yet.

Pupils on SEN Support: 18.0%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 4.1%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Specific learning difficulty: 47 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 37 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 32 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 32 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 16 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 10 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 10 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 9 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 4 pupils
Physical disability: 3 pupils

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 –

Behaviour

–

Openness

–

Teaching Quality

–

School Ethos

–

Ability to Deal with Problems

–

Headteacher Approval

–

Would recommend –

Give this school your first review

Educational Attainment

Good 2022 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.

Educational attainment data for this school has not been added yet.

Attainment 8 score: 43.5
Data year: 2024/25

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.

Ranked #26 of 41 Attainment 8 schools of this type in the area

#24Rossett School44.1
#25Scarborough University Technical College44.0
#26Thirsk School & Sixth Form College43.5
#27Boroughbridge High School43.0
#28Barlby High School42.8

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

#1Ripon Grammar School70.9
#2Skipton Girls' High School69.7
#3Ermysted's Grammar School67.3
#4Harrogate Grammar School56.6
#5St Aidan's Church of England High School56.4
#6St John Fisher Catholic Academy55.1
#7St Francis Xavier School - a Joint Catholic and Church of England Voluntary Academy54.6
#8Brayton Academy53.4
#9Lady Lumley's Academy52.7
#10Outwood Academy Easingwold52.0
#11Ryedale School51.7
#12Sherburn High School51.3
#13Tadcaster Grammar School50.0
#14St Augustine's Catholic School - a Catholic voluntary academy48.9
#15Scalby Academy48.3
#16Upper Wharfedale School48.3
#17South Craven School47.5
#18Malton School46.6
#19Outwood Academy Ripon46.6
#20Bedale High School46.1
#21King James's School46.1
#22Richmond School & Sixth Form College45.6
#23Stokesley School45.3
#24Rossett School44.1
#25Scarborough University Technical College44.0
#26Thirsk School & Sixth Form College43.5
#27Boroughbridge High School43.0
#28Barlby High School42.8
#29Selby High School Specialist School for the Arts and Science42.1
#30Settle College42.1
#31Nidderdale High School41.8
#32The Skipton Academy41.6
#33Wensleydale School41.5
#34Norton School41.0
#35Whitby School39.5
#36Harrogate High School39.1
#37Graham School38.3
#38Northallerton School & Sixth Form College37.5
#39Filey Academy35.7
#40George Pindar School33.4
#41Risedale School29.8

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 94.0%
Went into further education: 82.0%
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
Religious Studies
English Literature
Science Double Award
History
German
Art & Design
Physics (General)
Biology
Business Studies
Chemistry (General)
Geography
Computer Science
D & T
French Language
Sports Studies
Speech & Drama
Music Studies (General)
Polish
Russian
Spanish
Chinese

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

Ranked #25 of 32 Ofsted Rating schools of this type in the area

#23Tadcaster Grammar SchoolGood
#24The Skipton AcademyGood
#25Thirsk School & Sixth Form CollegeGood
#26Wensleydale SchoolGood
#27Barlby High SchoolRequires improvement

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.

#1Harrogate Grammar SchoolOutstanding
#2Outwood Academy EasingwoldOutstanding
#3Ryedale SchoolOutstanding
#4Ermysted's Grammar SchoolGood
#5King James's SchoolGood
#6Lady Lumley's AcademyGood
#7Malton SchoolGood
#8Nidderdale High SchoolGood
#9Northallerton School & Sixth Form CollegeGood
#10Norton SchoolGood
#11Outwood Academy RiponGood
#12Richmond School & Sixth Form CollegeGood
#13Ripon Grammar SchoolGood
#14Scarborough University Technical CollegeGood
#15Selby High School Specialist School for the Arts and ScienceGood
#16Sherburn High SchoolGood
#17Skipton Girls' High SchoolGood
#18South Craven SchoolGood
#19St Aidan's Church of England High SchoolGood
#20St Augustine's Catholic School - a Catholic voluntary academyGood
#21St John Fisher Catholic AcademyGood
#22Stokesley SchoolGood
#23Tadcaster Grammar SchoolGood
#24The Skipton AcademyGood
#25Thirsk School & Sixth Form CollegeGood
#26Wensleydale SchoolGood
#27Barlby High SchoolRequires improvement
#28Bedale High SchoolRequires improvement
#29Boroughbridge High SchoolRequires improvement
#30Graham SchoolRequires improvement
#31Harrogate High SchoolRequires improvement
#32Whitby SchoolRequires improvement

Financials

Financial summary information for this school has not been added yet.

Spending per pupil: £7,274 (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.

Ranked #32 of 41 Spending Per Pupil schools of this type in the area

#30St Augustine's Catholic School - a Catholic voluntary academy£7,393
#31Whitby School£7,359
#32Thirsk School & Sixth Form College£7,274
#33Bedale High School£7,071
#34Skipton Girls' High School£6,959

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.

#1Scarborough University Technical College£10,154
#2Scalby Academy£9,598
#3Rossett School£9,289
#4Risedale School£9,206
#5Nidderdale High School£9,003
#6Boroughbridge High School£8,594
#7Harrogate Grammar School£8,583
#8Barlby High School£8,475
#9Wensleydale School£8,425
#10Upper Wharfedale School£8,348
#11Harrogate High School£8,341
#12Settle College£8,275
#13Outwood Academy Ripon£8,243
#14Malton School£8,022
#15Norton School£7,931
#16Northallerton School & Sixth Form College£7,928
#17Filey Academy£7,914
#18Selby High School Specialist School for the Arts and Science£7,884
#19Stokesley School£7,831
#20Lady Lumley's Academy£7,696
#21Outwood Academy Easingwold£7,691
#22Ripon Grammar School£7,685
#23George Pindar School£7,554
#24Graham School£7,515
#25The Skipton Academy£7,509
#26St John Fisher Catholic Academy£7,507
#27King James's School£7,502
#28Ryedale School£7,412
#29St Francis Xavier School - a Joint Catholic and Church of England Voluntary Academy£7,394
#30St Augustine's Catholic School - a Catholic voluntary academy£7,393
#31Whitby School£7,359
#32Thirsk School & Sixth Form College£7,274
#33Bedale High School£7,071
#34Skipton Girls' High School£6,959
#35Richmond School & Sixth Form College£6,951
#36Ermysted's Grammar School£6,876
#37St Aidan's Church of England High School£6,759
#38Tadcaster Grammar School£6,602
#39Sherburn High School£6,427
#40Brayton Academy£6,412
#41South Craven School£3,053

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

General Information

Behaviour

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