Highcroft School
Highcroft, The Green, Bishop Auckland, DL13 5AG
- Phase
- Special schools
- School type
- Other independent special school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Headteacher
- Mr David Laheney
- Constituency
- Bishop Auckland
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 16
- Pupils on roll
- 13
- URN
- 136748
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01388718031
About this school
Highcroft School is an independent special school in Bishop Auckland. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 13 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has not yet inspected Highcroft School under its current framework. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Highcroft School has not been inspected by Ofsted yet. It opened in its current form in May 2011, and new or converted schools usually wait a few years for their first inspection.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Attainment 8 score | - | - | - |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | - | - | - |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | - | - | - |
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 Highcroft 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 |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6 |
| 2023/24 | 9 |
| 2024/25 | 11 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 0%
- Pupils with an EHC plan
- 6
- Pupils on SEN support
- 7
Location
Nearby schools
-
Evergreen Primary School5.7 miles
Special schools · Bishop Auckland
-
Pear Tree School5.7 miles
Special schools · Darlington
-
Oakwood Learning Centre5.8 miles
Special schools · Darlington
-
Barnard Castle School6.5 miles
Independent schools · Barnard Castle
-
Walworth School8.7 miles
Special schools · Newton Aycliffe
Other schools in Bishop Auckland
- Evergreen Primary School Special schools
- Aclet Close Nursery School Nursery
- Etherley Lane Nursery School Nursery
- Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law Primary
- Butterknowle Primary School Primary
- Cockfield Primary School Primary
- Cockton Hill Infant School Primary
- Cockton Hill Junior School Primary
- Copeland Road Primary School Primary
- Escomb Primary School Primary
- Etherley Lane Primary School Primary
- Evenwood Church of England Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Highcroft School teach?
- Highcroft School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a special school in Bishop Auckland.
- Who is the headteacher of Highcroft School?
- The headteacher of Highcroft School is Mr David Laheney, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Highcroft School been inspected?
- Ofsted has not inspected Highcroft School under its current framework, so no current judgement is shown. That is common for newer schools and is not a mark against a school.
- How big is Highcroft School?
- Highcroft School has 13 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Highcroft School full?
- Highcroft School has capacity for 16 pupils and 13 on roll (81%), 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 Highcroft School a faith school?
- No. Highcroft School has no designated religious character.
- What are Highcroft School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Highcroft 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 24 July 2026.