Harrogate Grammar School, Harrogate

Ofsted's report card from its 14 April 2026 inspection grades Harrogate Grammar School on 7 areas: 2 strong standard and 5 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Strong standard. "Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, achieve highly over time."

Post 16 provision - Strong standard. "Achievement in the sixth form is consistently above national averages, including for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders ensure that staff maintain a clear focus on improving attendance for all pupils."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have an informed understanding of the quality of teaching in the school."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders identify pupils' needs quickly and accurately."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders and governors have an established understanding of the school's context."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders ensure a well‑planned and thoughtful programme supports pupils' personal development."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders and governors should refine how they evaluate impact so that priorities for improvement are consistently identified, reviewed and acted on, securing strong standards across all areas of the school's work"; "Leaders should ensure that teachers' choices of learning activities consistently deepen and extend all pupils' understanding across all subjects, including in taught personal development lessons"; "Leaders should continue to embed strategies to improve attendance so that pupils who face barriers to their learning, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those in receipt of free school meals, secure high attendance over time".

From the headteacher's welcome: "You are here: Home > Our school > Welcome from the Headteacher Three central areas underpin these values - a culture of respectful relationships, an aspirational and inclusive curriculum, and expert teaching. Teachers at HGS benefit from the latest research in cognitive science about ‘making learning stick’ and our 7 principles of teaching and learning."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include drama, photography, debating and Duke of Edinburgh.

In 2026, pupils at Harrogate Grammar School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 56, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.2 in North Yorkshire and 47 across England.

63% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 48% in North Yorkshire and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 56.6.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.44: pupils made above 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 39.3, against 58.7 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 19.4 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 27 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Geography and Combined Science.

For September 2026 entry, 366 families put Harrogate Grammar School as their first choice and 889 named it as one of their preferences, for 281 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 97 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Harrogate Grammar School are Rossett School (0.5 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 47.2); St Aidan's Church of England High School (0.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 59.4); St Aidans and St John Fisher Associated Sixth Form (1 mile); and St John Fisher Catholic Academy (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 52.6).

Harrogate Grammar School's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.

Harrogate Grammar School is one of 16 schools run by Red Kite Learning Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 47.7 in 2024/25.

Of the 288 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 88% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 17% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 4% into work.

Of the 338 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 52% went on to university or other higher education, 4% to apprenticeships and 27% into work. 31% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

9.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 5.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 171 pupils (8.2%) received SEN support and 63 (3%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.

The nearest railway station is Harrogate Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.

11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Harrogate Grammar Sch Grounds (se-bound), 70 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Harrogate Grammar School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 247 crimes within a mile of the school, most often shoplifting, violence and sexual offences and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in North Yorkshire (9), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Harrogate Grammar School issued 43 suspensions, 2.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Harrogate Grammar School are Rossett Acre Primary School (0.4 miles), Western Primary School (0.5 miles), St Peter's Church of England Primary School (0.6 miles) and Oatlands Infant School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.