Cottingham High School, Cottingham

Ofsted's report card from its 6 May 2026 inspection grades Cottingham High School on 6 areas: 6 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, generally achieve well."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, attend school regularly."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have ensured that there is an appropriate, broad curriculum in place."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders accurately identify and act on barriers to pupils' success."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders, including trustees and governors, understand the school's context and its strengths."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have established a clear and appropriate programme for pupils' personal development."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should continue to scrutinise and act on data to identify and tackle barriers to attendance, so that there is further improvement, particularly for disadvantaged pupils"; "Leaders should ensure that all teachers use the school's behaviour policy consistently, so that even more pupils become reflective, behave with integrity and cooperate well with others"; "Leaders should strengthen the impact of their work to ensure the curriculum is consistently taught well and that any barriers to pupils' success are swiftly and effectively addressed".

In its own words: "As part of The Consortium Academy Trust , we are ambitious about the future - creating learning environments and excellence in teaching and learning that provide our children and young people with the best chance at a successful future."

In 2026, pupils at Cottingham High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 38.6, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.1 in East Riding of Yorkshire and 47 across England.

30% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in East Riding of Yorkshire and 47% in England.

That is down from 45.2 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.09: pupils made about average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 32.6, against 40.9 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 8.3 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 26 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and History.

For September 2026 entry, 121 families put Cottingham High School as their first choice and 225 named it as one of their preferences, for 136 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Cottingham High School are Wolfreton School and Sixth Form College (2.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.9); Kelvin Hall School (2.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.9); Newland School for Girls (2.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49); and Sirius Academy North (2.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.1).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Cottingham High School.

Cottingham High School is one of 9 schools run by The Consortium Academy Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 43.6 in 2024/25.

Of the 159 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 81% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 30% to a further education college, 10% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

Of the 48 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 38% went on to university or other higher education, 19% to apprenticeships and 27% into work. 18% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

6.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The nearest railway station is Cottingham Rail Station, about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.

4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Cottingham High School, 180 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 73 crimes within a mile of the school, most often shoplifting, violence and sexual offences and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in East Riding of Yorkshire (31), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Cottingham High School issued 237 suspensions, 27.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Cottingham High School are Westfield Primary School (0.6 miles), Hallgate Primary School Cottingham (0.9 miles), Bacon Garth Primary School (1 mile) and Skidby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School (1.3 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.