South Craven School
Holme Lane, Cross Hills, Keighley, BD20 7RL
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- APEX COLLABORATIVE TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Martyn Hill
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Constituency
- Skipton and Ripon
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,769
- Pupils on roll
- 1,936
- URN
- 136736
- Local authority
- North Yorkshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01535632861
About this school
South Craven School is a secondary academy in Keighley. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,936 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected South Craven 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
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 273 | 296 | 295 |
| Attainment 8 score | 43.0 | 46.5 | 47.5 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.21 -0.38 to -0.04 | +0.20 +0.04 to +0.36 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 34% | 41.2% | 40.7% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 60% | 65.2% | 67.5% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 17% | 19.6% | 15.9% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.9 |
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 South Craven 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 | North Yorkshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 43 | 41.9 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 46.5 | 41.8 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 47.5 | 40.4 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,873 |
| 2023/24 | 1,874 |
| 2024/25 | 1,860 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How South Craven School compares
South Craven School ranked 17th of 41 secondary schools in North Yorkshire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 67% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 16% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 47.5 | 8.1% | 16.8% | 1,936 | — |
| Carlton Keighley | 38.6 | 8.2% | 32.8% | 809 | 3.2 miles |
| The Holy Family Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy | 28.8 | 12.5% | 41.7% | 630 | 3.3 miles |
| Beckfoot Oakbank | 35.3 | 14.5% | 38.1% | 1,394 | 4.0 miles |
| Ermysted's Grammar School | 67.3 | 6.3% | 6.5% | 836 | 4.6 miles |
| Skipton Girls' High School | 69.7 | 6% | 7.1% | 862 | 4.7 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)
- 16.8%
- English as an additional language
- 3.2%
- Overall absence
- 8.07%
- Persistent absence
- 24.94%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Carlton Keighley3.2 miles
Secondary · Keighley
-
The Holy Family Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy3.3 miles
Secondary · Keighley
-
Beckfoot Oakbank4.0 miles
Secondary · Keighley
-
Ermysted's Grammar School4.6 miles
Secondary · Skipton
-
Skipton Girls' High School4.7 miles
Secondary · Skipton
Other schools in Keighley
- Beckfoot Oakbank Secondary
- Carlton Keighley Secondary
- The Holy Family Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy Secondary
- Strong Close Nursery School Nursery
- Beckfoot Nessfield Primary
- Bradleys Both Community Primary School Primary
- Cononley Primary School Primary
- Cowling Community Primary School Primary
- East Morton CofE Primary School Primary
- Eastburn Primary School Primary
- Eastwood Community School Primary
- Glusburn Community Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does South Craven School teach?
- South Craven School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Keighley.
- Who is the headteacher of South Craven School?
- The headteacher of South Craven School is Mr Martyn Hill, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has South Craven School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected South Craven 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 South Craven School?
- South Craven School has 1,936 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is South Craven School full?
- South Craven School has capacity for 1,769 pupils and 1,936 on roll (109%), so it is at or above 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 South Craven School a faith school?
- No. South Craven School has no designated religious character.
- Is South Craven School a selective school?
- No. South Craven School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is South Craven School part of an academy trust?
- South Craven School is part of APEX COLLABORATIVE TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have South Craven School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 43 in 2022/23 and 47.5 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does South Craven School compare with other schools in North Yorkshire?
- South Craven School ranked 17th of 41 secondary schools in North Yorkshire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 67% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 16% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is South Craven School's absence rate?
- South Craven School's overall absence rate is 8.1% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are South Craven School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, South Craven 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.