Clitheroe Royal Grammar School
York Street, Clitheroe, BB7 2DJ
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- CLITHEROE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL
- Headteacher
- Mr James Keulemans
- Admissions policy
- Selective
- Constituency
- Pendle and Clitheroe
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,613
- Pupils on roll
- 1,496
- URN
- 136390
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01200423118
About this school
Clitheroe Royal Grammar School is a secondary academy in Clitheroe. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,496 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Clitheroe Royal Grammar School, 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
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
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 149 | 150 | 149 |
| Attainment 8 score | 72.5 | 72.8 | 74.4 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.37 +0.14 to +0.60 | +0.55 +0.32 to +0.78 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 98% | 97.3% | 96% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 100% | 99.3% | 99.3% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 80% | 73.3% | 78.5% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 6.7 | 6.8 | 7.0 |
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 Clitheroe Royal Grammar School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Lancashire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 72.5 | 38.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 72.8 | 37.6 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 74.4 | 37 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,417 |
| 2023/24 | 1,441 |
| 2024/25 | 1,475 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Clitheroe Royal Grammar School compares
Clitheroe Royal Grammar School ranked 1st of 81 secondary schools in Lancashire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 99% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 74.4 | 4.8% | 11.9% | 1,496 | — |
| Bowland High | 47.8 | 6.9% | 9.6% | 644 | 2.9 miles |
| St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy | 44.9 | 8.2% | 15.9% | 1,117 | 4.4 miles |
| Shuttleworth College | 39.5 | 12.2% | 46.4% | 1,072 | 6.5 miles |
| Burnley High School | 38.6 | 8% | 40.4% | 579 | 6.7 miles |
| The Hyndburn Academy | 37.4 | 7.6% | 43.9% | 641 | 7.3 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 11.85%
- English as an additional language
- 6.6%
- Overall absence
- 4.76%
- Persistent absence
- 10.86%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Bowland High2.9 miles
Secondary · Clitheroe
-
St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy4.4 miles
Secondary · Clitheroe
-
Shuttleworth College6.5 miles
Secondary · Burnley
-
Burnley High School6.7 miles
Secondary · Burnley
-
The Hyndburn Academy7.3 miles
Secondary · Blackburn
Other schools in Clitheroe
- Bowland High Secondary
- St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy Secondary
- Ribblesdale Nursery School Nursery
- Barrow URC Primary School Primary
- Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Chatburn Church of England Primary School Primary
- Clitheroe Brookside Primary School Primary
- Clitheroe Pendle Primary School Primary
- Edisford Primary School Primary
- Gisburn Primary School Primary
- Grindleton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Slaidburn Brennands Endowed Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Clitheroe Royal Grammar School teach?
- Clitheroe Royal Grammar School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Clitheroe.
- Who is the headteacher of Clitheroe Royal Grammar School?
- The headteacher of Clitheroe Royal Grammar School is Mr James Keulemans, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Clitheroe Royal Grammar School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Clitheroe Royal Grammar School, 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 Clitheroe Royal Grammar School?
- Clitheroe Royal Grammar School has 1,496 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Clitheroe Royal Grammar School full?
- Clitheroe Royal Grammar School has capacity for 1,613 pupils and 1,496 on roll (93%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Clitheroe Royal Grammar School a faith school?
- No. Clitheroe Royal Grammar School has no designated religious character.
- Is Clitheroe Royal Grammar School a selective school?
- Yes. Clitheroe Royal Grammar School is recorded as Selective in the schools register, so entry involves selection.
- Is Clitheroe Royal Grammar School part of an academy trust?
- Clitheroe Royal Grammar School is part of CLITHEROE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Clitheroe Royal Grammar School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 72.5 in 2022/23 and 74.4 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Clitheroe Royal Grammar School compare with other schools in Lancashire?
- Clitheroe Royal Grammar School ranked 1st of 81 secondary schools in Lancashire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 99% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Clitheroe Royal Grammar School's absence rate?
- Clitheroe Royal Grammar School's overall absence rate is 4.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Clitheroe Royal Grammar School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Clitheroe Royal Grammar School'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 1 July 2026.