Houlton School
Signal Drive, Houlton, Rugby, CV23 1ED
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- TRANSFORMING LIVES EDUCATIONAL TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Paul Brockwell
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Transforming Lives Educational Trust
- Constituency
- Rugby
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,000
- Pupils on roll
- 895
- URN
- 143707
- Local authority
- Warwickshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01788593300
About this school
Houlton School is a secondary academy in Rugby. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 895 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Houlton 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
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Trends over time
How Houlton 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 358 |
| 2023/24 | 541 |
| 2024/25 | 710 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Houlton School compares
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 | — | 8% | 20.7% | 895 | — |
| Ashlawn School | 50.4 | 8.5% | 18.4% | 1,564 | 1.9 miles |
| Lawrence Sheriff School | 75.1 | 4.2% | 9.2% | 1,200 | 2.8 miles |
| Rugby Free Secondary School | 43.7 | 10.2% | 29.1% | 1,168 | 3.2 miles |
| Harris Church of England Academy | 42.5 | 9.7% | 38.2% | 858 | 3.5 miles |
| The Avon Valley School and Performing Arts College | 44.4 | 10.2% | 34.8% | 1,096 | 3.8 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 20.7%
- English as an additional language
- 14.8%
- Overall absence
- 8.03%
- Persistent absence
- 20.78%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Ashlawn School1.9 miles
Secondary · Rugby
-
Lawrence Sheriff School2.8 miles
Secondary · Rugby
-
Rugby Free Secondary School3.2 miles
Secondary · Rugby
-
Harris Church of England Academy3.5 miles
Secondary · Rugby
-
The Avon Valley School and Performing Arts College3.8 miles
Secondary · Rugby
Other schools in Rugby
- Ashlawn School Secondary
- Bilton School Secondary
- Harris Church of England Academy Secondary
- Lawrence Sheriff School Secondary
- Rugby Free Secondary School Secondary
- Rugby High School Secondary
- The Avon Valley School and Performing Arts College Secondary
- Abbots Farm Infant School Primary
- Abbots Farm Junior School Primary
- Barby Church of England Primary School Primary
- Bawnmore Community Infant School Primary
- Bilton CofE Junior School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Houlton School teach?
- Houlton School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Rugby.
- Who is the headteacher of Houlton School?
- The headteacher of Houlton School is Mr Paul Brockwell, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Houlton School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Houlton 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 Houlton School?
- Houlton School has 895 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Houlton School full?
- Houlton School has capacity for 1,000 pupils and 895 on roll (90%), 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 Houlton School a faith school?
- No. Houlton School has no designated religious character.
- Is Houlton School a selective school?
- No. Houlton School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Houlton School part of an academy trust?
- Houlton School is part of TRANSFORMING LIVES EDUCATIONAL TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is Houlton School's absence rate?
- Houlton School's overall absence rate is 8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Houlton School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for Houlton School. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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 10 July 2026.