Withernsea High School, Withernsea
Withernsea High School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Withernsea. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2021. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 17th-highest of the 18 schools in East Riding of Yorkshire with published results, and 2,982nd of 3,298 across England. It was 63% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2021)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to East Riding of Yorkshire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Withernsea High School in detail
Withernsea High School in its own words
In its own words: "Develop effective learners: Students securely learn knowledge and skills and develop the attributes of lifelong learners."
From the headteacher's welcome: "Withernsea High School is a genuine community school with strong ties to town, village, and homes in the rural location of Holderness. However, please do get in touch if you would like any further information."
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at Withernsea High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 37, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.1 in East Riding of Yorkshire and 47 across England.
24% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in East Riding of Yorkshire and 47% in England.
That is down from 38.9 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.38: pupils made below 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 31.8, against 42.1 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.3 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 17 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Geography.
Getting a place at Withernsea High School
For September 2026 entry, 131 families put Withernsea High School as their first choice and 155 named it as one of their preferences, for 133 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Withernsea High School
What parents say
77 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Withernsea High School (as of September 2025): 66% would recommend the school, 74% say their child is happy there and 59% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (79%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (59%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 167 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 77% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 37% to a further education college, 8% to an apprenticeship and 5% into work.
Who goes there
39.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 0.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 77 pupils (10.5%) received SEN support and 73 (9.9%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Withernsea High School has a resourced provision for social, emotional and mental health needs: 25 places, 25 pupils on roll.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Withernsea High School.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Withernsea School, 100 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 50 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting 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.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Withernsea High School issued 470 suspensions, 64.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The school creates a happy, safe environment where most pupils have positive relationships with staff. It offers an ambitious curriculum with good progression and provides wide enrichment opportunities. Pupils with SEND in the resource provision receive effective support, and the school excels at preparing pupils for their future through strong careers guidance.
Key Strengths
- Ambitious, logically sequenced curriculum with good progression (e.g., design and technology building from simple to complex tasks)
- Effective identification of pupils with SEND needs and support through enhanced resource provision
- Strong careers education helping pupils reach suitable destinations
- Improved attendance rates through team effort across the school
- Wide range of enrichment opportunities including clubs and pupil ambassador programs
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistent teaching support for pupils with SEND, sometimes making work too easy so pupils don't develop skills as well as they should
- Pupils struggle to transfer learning to long-term memory and recall learning over time
- Weakest readers, especially those at earliest stages, not receiving timely and effective support
- Limited curriculum teaching about other faiths and cultures in Key Stage 4, with some pupils showing lack of respect for difference
- Inconsistent behaviour expectations enforcement and lack of quality assurance processes
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with clear systems in place to protect pupils.
Extracurricular Activities
trampolining club, arts and crafts club, hairdressing club, Board for Change (pupil ambassadors), daily reading activities, active library
Withernsea High School is a secondary comprehensive serving 759 pupils aged 11-16. While many pupils are happy and safe, the school's quality of education is variable with recent outcomes below national levels in many areas.
About
Withernsea High School is a coeducational secondary school located in Withernsea in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
39.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: SEMH
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
77 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has declined from -0.05 to -0.38 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 42.2 to 37.0 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 37% to 24% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 37.0 | 23.6% |
| Disadvantaged(69) | - | 31.8 | 15.9% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(71) | - | 42.1 | 31% |
| Boys(75) | - | 33.9 | 17.3% |
| Girls(65) | - | 40.6 | 30.8% |
Show more breakdowns (1)
| Non mobile(135) | - | 37.2 | 24.4% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 167 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
3
Permanent exclusions
0.41%
Exclusion rate
470
Suspensions
64.30%
Suspension rate
138 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 731 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Latest from Withernsea High School
WHS students broaden their horizons at apprenticeship expo
2 Oct 2026
September Attendance Heroes
1 Oct 2026
Enrichment programme gets creative start
29 Sep 2026
Strong week of sporting action
29 Sep 2026
Year 11 Geographers take learning beyond the classroom
29 Sep 2026
Enrichment programme offers opportunities beyond the classroom
28 Sep 2026
From Withernsea High School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Withernsea High School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Withernsea High School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Withernsea High School is in East Riding of Yorkshire; for families living there:
Apply to East Riding of Yorkshire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in East Riding of Yorkshire is 6 (the median across 160 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Withernsea High School
Will you get a place at Withernsea High School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Withernsea High School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Withernsea High School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Withernsea High School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from East Riding of Yorkshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Withernsea High School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in East Riding of Yorkshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
63%
Available places
730 pupils
1,160 places
430 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Withernsea
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Withernsea
Across East Riding of Yorkshire council
Places available
3,771
Applications
3,190
Got 1st preference
96.8%
Got preferred school
99.0%
All secondary applications across East Riding of Yorkshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(14)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
77
SEN Support
73
EHC Plans
20.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Withernsea High School has a resourced provision for social, emotional and mental health needs: 25 places, 25 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
734
Total Pupils
404
Boys
330
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
52
Teachers
14.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,100
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,765
Per pupil
£6173k
Total funding
£291k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.7%
Overall absence
28.1%
Persistent absence
757
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Withernsea High School
Questions parents ask about Withernsea High School
What are GCSE results like at Withernsea High School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Withernsea High School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 37. 24% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Withernsea High School's Ofsted rating?
Withernsea High School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2021, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Withernsea High School?
No fixed boundary. When Withernsea High School is oversubscribed, East Riding of Yorkshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Withernsea High School?
Withernsea High School was not full in 2025: it ran at 63% of its 1160 places.
How big are the classes at Withernsea High School?
Classes at Withernsea High School average 22.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Withernsea High School?
Withernsea High School has around 734 pupils on roll. 39% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Withernsea High School have specialist SEN provision?
Withernsea High School has a resourced provision for social, emotional and mental health needs: 25 places, 25 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Withernsea High School?
8.7% of sessions were missed at Withernsea High School in 2024/25. 28.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Withernsea High School?
Apply through East Riding of Yorkshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Withernsea High School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Withernsea High School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in East Riding of Yorkshire is 6 (the median across 160 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Withernsea High School?
Withernsea High School is at Hull Road, Withernsea, HU19 2EQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)