Colne Valley High School
Gillroyd Lane, Linthwaite, Huddersfield, HD7 5SP
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- GREAT HEIGHTS ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Steve Dixon
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious ethos
- None
- Sponsor
- Great Heights Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Colne Valley
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,447
- Pupils on roll
- 1,360
- URN
- 140660
- Local authority
- Kirklees
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01484848680
About this school
Colne Valley High School is a secondary academy in Huddersfield. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 1,360 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. 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
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
- Safeguarding
- Effective
A short monitoring inspection followed on : inspectors found some aspects are not as strong as at the previous inspection.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 262 | 284 | 294 |
| Attainment 8 score | 44.0 | 41.9 | 42.4 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.20 -0.37 to -0.02 | -0.40 -0.57 to -0.24 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 38% | 35.2% | 34% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 65% | 59.5% | 59.9% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 11% | 27.5% | 29.6% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
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 Colne Valley High 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 | Kirklees average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 44 | 40.3 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 41.9 | 41 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 42.4 | 42.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 10.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,426 |
| 2023/24 | 1,436 |
| 2024/25 | 1,440 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Colne Valley High School compares
Colne Valley High School ranked 21st of 25 secondary schools in Kirklees for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 47% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 11% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 42.4 | 9% | 25% | 1,360 | — |
| Moor End Academy | 45.9 | 6.7% | 47.9% | 1,053 | 1.4 miles |
| Royds Hall, A Share Academy | 46.8 | 6.2% | 43.7% | 853 | 1.8 miles |
| Salendine Nook High School | 50.9 | 6.4% | 22.1% | 1,419 | 2.1 miles |
| Newsome Academy | 44.1 | 6.9% | 46.1% | 824 | 2.3 miles |
| Honley High School | 50.6 | 9.1% | 23% | 1,240 | 2.8 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.
Inspection history
-
Ungraded inspection report22 January 2025
- 18 September 2019
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 25%
- English as an additional language
- 3.3%
- Overall absence
- 9%
- Persistent absence
- 22.7%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Moor End Academy1.4 miles
Secondary · Huddersfield
-
Royds Hall, A Share Academy1.8 miles
Secondary · Huddersfield
-
Salendine Nook High School2.1 miles
Secondary · Huddersfield
-
Newsome Academy2.3 miles
Secondary · Huddersfield
-
Honley High School2.8 miles
Secondary · Holmfirth
Other schools in Huddersfield
Colne Valley High School ranks 8th of the 10 ranked secondary schools in Huddersfield.
- All Saints Catholic College Secondary
- King James's School Secondary
- Moor End Academy Secondary
- Netherhall Learning Campus High School Secondary
- Newsome Academy Secondary
- North Huddersfield Trust School Secondary
- Royds Hall, A Share Academy Secondary
- Salendine Nook High School Secondary
- Shelley College, A Share Academy Secondary
- All Hallows' CofE (VA) Primary School Primary
- Ashbrow School Primary
- Beaumont Primary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Colne Valley High School teach?
- Colne Valley High School teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Huddersfield.
- Who is the headteacher of Colne Valley High School?
- The headteacher of Colne Valley High School is Mr Steve Dixon, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Colne Valley High School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Colne Valley High 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 big is Colne Valley High School?
- Colne Valley High School has 1,360 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Colne Valley High School full?
- Colne Valley High School has capacity for 1,447 pupils and 1,360 on roll (94%), 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 Colne Valley High School a faith school?
- No. Colne Valley High School has no designated religious character.
- Is Colne Valley High School a selective school?
- No. Colne Valley High School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs Colne Valley High School?
- Colne Valley High School is part of GREAT HEIGHTS ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Colne Valley High School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 44 in 2022/23 and 42.4 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Colne Valley High School rank locally?
- Colne Valley High School ranked 21st of 25 secondary schools in Kirklees for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 47% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 11% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Colne Valley High School's absence rate?
- Colne Valley High School's overall absence rate is 9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Colne Valley High School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Colne Valley High 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.