What ages does The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form teach?

The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form teaches children aged 5 to 19. It is a special school in Brighouse.

Who is the principal of The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form?

The principal of The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form is Mrs Sue Ackroyd, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.

Has The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form been inspected?

Ofsted has inspected The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.

How many pupils are at The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form?

The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form has 83 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 19.

Is The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form full?

The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form has capacity for 87 pupils and 83 on roll (95%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.

Is The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form a faith school?

No. The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form has no designated religious character.

What SEN provision does The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form have?

The schools register lists The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form's special educational needs provision as: SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty; SLCN - Speech, language and Communication; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.

How have The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form's results changed over recent years?

Its Attainment 8 score was 4.8 in 2022/23 and 0.6 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.

What is The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form's absence rate?

The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form's overall absence rate is 6.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.

What are The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form's exam results?

Where the Department for Education has published them, The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.

Home
Calderdale
Brighouse
The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form

The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form

Boothroyd, Brighouse, HD6 3JW

Phase: Special schools
School type: Non-maintained special school
Ages: 5 to 19
Gender: Boys
Principal: Mrs Sue Ackroyd
Boarding: Boarding school
SEN provision: SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
Constituency: Calder Valley
Setting: Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Capacity: 87
Pupils on roll: 83
URN: 107589
Local authority: Calderdale
Website: School website
Telephone: 01484710123

About this school

The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form is a boys' special school in Brighouse. It teaches children aged 5 to 19 and has 83 pupils on roll.

Ofsted has inspected The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.

Ofsted judgement

England: previous inspection framework

Inspected 13 September 2023 · report published 15 November 2023

Outstanding

Overall judgement at the last full inspection

This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work

Quality of education: Outstanding
Behaviour and attitudes: Outstanding
Personal development: Outstanding
Leadership and management: Outstanding
Sixth form: Outstanding
Safeguarding: Effective

Read the full report on Ofsted's website

Exam results

Key stage 4 (GCSEs)

Measure	2022/23	2023/24	2024/25
Pupils at the end of key stage 4	12	10	7
Attainment 8 score	4.8	8.9	0.6
Progress 8 score	-2.06 -2.99 to -1.14	-1.21 -2.35 to -0.08	-
Grade 5 or above in English and maths	8%	0%	0%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths	8%	20%	0%
Entered the English Baccalaureate	0%	0%	0%
English Baccalaureate average point score	0.3	0.3	0.0

Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.

Trends over time

How The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.

Key stage 4: Attainment 8

Year	This school	Calderdale average	England average
2022/23	4.8	39.7	39.8
2023/24	8.9	39	39.5
2024/25	0.6	37.3	39

Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.

Overall absence rate

Year	This school	England average
2022/23	7%	6.8%
2023/24	9.5%	6.6%
2024/25	6.6%	6.2%

Department for Education pupil absence data.

Pupils on roll

Year	This school
2022/23	78
2023/24	87
2024/25	88

School census, spring count each academic year.

School context

From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.

Free school meals (last 6 years): 58.44%
English as an additional language: 2.3%
Overall absence: 6.64%
Persistent absence: 15.87%

Location

Nearby schools

Highbury School
Special schools · Brighouse

0.4 miles
William Henry Smith Specialist College
Other types · Elland

1.4 miles
Compass Community School North
Special schools · West Yorkshire

1.7 miles
Pivot Academy
Special schools · Huddersfield

1.8 miles
Stafford Hall School
Special schools · Halifax

2.4 miles

Other schools in Brighouse

Highbury School Special schools
Bailiffe Bridge Junior and Infant School Primary
Carr Green Primary School Primary
Field Lane Primary School Primary
Longroyde Primary School Primary
St Andrew's Church of England (VA) Infant School Primary
St Andrew's CofE (VA) Junior School Primary
St John's (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton Primary
St Joseph's Catholic Primary Academy, Brighouse Primary
Trinity Academy St Chad's Primary
Woodhouse Primary School Primary
Brighouse High School Secondary

Common questions

What ages does The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form teach?: The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form teaches children aged 5 to 19. It is a special school in Brighouse.
Who is the principal of The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form?: The principal of The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form is Mrs Sue Ackroyd, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
Has The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form been inspected?: Ofsted has inspected The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
How many pupils are at The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form?: The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form has 83 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 19.
Is The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form full?: The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form has capacity for 87 pupils and 83 on roll (95%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
Is The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form a faith school?: No. The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form has no designated religious character.
What SEN provision does The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form have?: The schools register lists The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form's special educational needs provision as: SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty; SLCN - Speech, language and Communication; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
How have The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form's results changed over recent years?: Its Attainment 8 score was 4.8 in 2022/23 and 0.6 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
What is The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form's absence rate?: The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form's overall absence rate is 6.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
What are The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form's exam results?: Where the Department for Education has published them, The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.

School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.