School profile

Whitby School

Secondary · Community school · Whitby, YO21 1LA

Requires improvement

Map showing Whitby School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#2,678 of 3,312

Worse than 80% of schools in England

Ranked by Attainment 8 score, state-funded mainstream schools.

A-level 2024/25

#2,249 of 2,536

Worse than 88% of schools in England

Ranked by average points per A-level entry.

Whitby School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 7 Nov 2023

Ofsted rating
Requires improvement
Quality of education
Requires improvement
Behaviour and attitudes
Requires improvement
Personal development
Requires improvement
Leadership and management
Requires improvement
Sixth form provision
Good
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeCommunity school
Ages11 to 19
Pupils975
GenderMixed
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMiss Julie Caddell
Local authorityNorth Yorkshire
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 121667.

GCSE results

2025/26

GCSE and equivalent results at the end of year 11. Attainment 8 averages results across 8 subjects.

MeasureThis schoolNorth YorkshireEngland
Attainment 8 scoreResults across 8 subjects, English and maths count twice. 50 is about a grade 5 average.39.8, worse than England, worse than North Yorkshire46.846.2
Grade 4 or above in English and mathsGrade 4 is a standard pass.58.6%, worse than England, worse than North Yorkshire67.8%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and mathsGrade 5 is a strong pass.38.3%, worse than England, worse than North Yorkshire47.9%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and mathsGrade 7 is roughly an old A grade.5.6%, worse than England, worse than North Yorkshire12.7%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths51.9%, worse than England, worse than North Yorkshire63.1%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4162--

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 performance, Academic year 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

A-level results

2024/25

Results for students at the end of 16 to 18 study.

MeasureThis schoolNorth YorkshireEngland
Average points per A-level entryA* is 60, A is 50, B is 40, C is 30, D is 20, E is 10.25.59, worse than England, worse than North Yorkshire35.7435
Average A-level gradeC---
Average grade, best three A-levelsc--
A-level progress scoreCompared with students with similar GCSE results. 0 is average.-0.58, worse than England--
A-level progressBelow average, worse than England--
Students at the end of 16 to 18 study47--
Average applied general gradeVocational qualifications, such as BTECs.Merit+--

Source: DfE, 16 to 19 performance, Academic year 2024/25, published 23 Apr 2026.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils975
Girls484
Boys491
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.26.4%
First language not English2.2%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.1,530
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.36.3%
Sixth form places2024/25330
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.142
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.48
Average class size21

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
86.3%
Other White
1.2%
White and Asian
0.5%
Gypsy/Roma
0.3%
White and Black Caribbean
0.3%
Other mixed
0.3%
Pakistani
0.3%
Chinese
0.3%
White and Black African
0.2%
Bangladeshi
0.2%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher17.5
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.11.8
Teachers (FTE)55.62
Teaching assistants (FTE)22.72
Support staff (FTE)48.24
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2556.5
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2548.1
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/253.9
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/254.6

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Year 7)Places offered on national offer day.176
Applications (Year 7)Includes every preference parents listed.172
First preference applications (Year 7)Families who put this school as their first choice.167
First preference offers (Year 7)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.167
Applications from another local authority (Year 7)5

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolNorth YorkshireEngland
Overall absence11.6%, worse than England, worse than North Yorkshire8.4%8%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.35.1%, worse than England, worse than North Yorkshire22%21.6%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.5.7%, worse than England, worse than North Yorkshire3.9%3.6%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate37.8%
Pupils with one or more suspensions13.5%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Destinations after GCSEs

2023/24

Where pupils went after year 11, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destinationIn education, an apprenticeship or work for at least two terms.89.5%
Staying in educationSixth form, college or further education.83.8%
Sixth form college30.5%
Further education26.7%
School sixth form25.7%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.5.7%
Apprenticeship3.8%
Employment1.9%

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 destination measures, Academic year 2024/25, published 15 Oct 2026.

Destinations after A-levels

2023/24

Where students went after 16 to 18 study, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destinationIn education, an apprenticeship or work for at least two terms.77.6%
Employment37.3%
Higher education28.4%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.17.9%
Further education6%
Apprenticeship4.5%

Source: DfE, 16 to 18 destination measures, Academic year 2024/25, published 15 Oct 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Whitby School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.3 miPrimaryStakesby Primary AcademyAcademy converter
Good
0.4 miPrimaryAiry Hill Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.5 miPrimaryWest Cliff Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.8 miPrimaryRuswarp Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolVoluntary controlled school
Requires improvement
1.0 miPrimaryEast Whitby Primary AcademyAcademy converter
Good

Frequently asked questions about Whitby School

What is Whitby School's Ofsted rating?

Whitby School is rated Requires improvement by Ofsted, last inspected on 7 Nov 2023.

How does Whitby School rank in England?

Whitby School ranks 2,678 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (worse than 80% of schools) and 2,249 of 2,536 schools in England for A-level 2024/25 (worse than 88% of schools).

What are Whitby School's GCSE results?

In 2025/26, 38.3% of pupils at Whitby School got grade 5 or above in English and maths (England 46.3%). The Attainment 8 score was 39.8 (England 46.2).

What are Whitby School's A-level results?

In 2024/25, the average A-level grade at Whitby School was C-.

How hard is it to get into Whitby School?

For Year 7 entry in 2026/27, Whitby School made 176 offers from 172 applications (1 per offer), and 167 of 167 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Whitby School?

Whitby School has 975 pupils aged 11 to 19.

What is the capacity of Whitby School?

Whitby School had 1,530 school places in 2024/25.

Does Whitby School have a sixth form?

Yes, Whitby School has a sixth form with 330 places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Whitby School?

At Whitby School, the average class had 21 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 17.5 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Whitby School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Whitby School missed 11.6% of sessions (England 8%), and 35.1% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 21.6%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.