Brighouse High School Review 2026: A large Calderdale comprehensive with a split-site sixth form

This is a sizeable 11 to 18 comprehensive that combines mainstream breadth with a distinct post-16 identity. The main school sits on the Finkil Street site, while the sixth form operates separately, a structure that can help older students feel the step up in independence without losing continuity.

Behaviour and relationships are a visible strength in the most recent inspection evidence, alongside a curriculum that is described as broad and carefully designed from Year 7 through to sixth form study. Safeguarding is also recorded as effective.

On outcomes, the picture is mixed and worth reading carefully. GCSE performance sits in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile), while the A-level profile and ranking place it below England average overall. For many families, that combination points to a school that can work very well for students who value structure, pastoral consistency, and a strong wider programme, particularly if they make full use of academic support and enrichment.

The school positions itself clearly as a comprehensive serving its local community, with an emphasis on positive behaviour and relationships as the foundation for learning. That emphasis is reinforced by the way personal development is organised, with a named tutor structure and a planned personal development curriculum that runs alongside academic study.

Leadership is stable and easy to verify. The headteacher is Mr R Horsfield, with a senior team including deputy headteacher roles spanning curriculum, teaching and learning, and student development. A reasonable, evidence-led way to describe tenure is that he has been in post since at least 2019, supported by Companies House appointment data for the academy trust and his identification as headteacher in the 2022 inspection documentation.

A distinctive feature is the school’s strong pastoral language and infrastructure. Learning4Life lessons and Super Learning Days are used to deliver key aspects of personal development and wellbeing education, alongside assemblies and form time. The practical implication is that safeguarding, relationships, and day-to-day conduct are treated as taught, planned content rather than informal add-ons.

Another defining element is the split-site nature. Sixth form students learn on a separate site, and the inspection evidence describes high expectations and a focused learning environment post-16. This can suit students who want a clear transition point at 16 and a more adult study culture, while still staying within a familiar organisation.

For GCSE outcomes, the school is ranked 2463rd in England (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), and 2nd within the local area of Brighouse. This places performance in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

Looking at the headline measures provided, Attainment 8 is 44.7 and Progress 8 is -0.24. The practical interpretation of a negative Progress 8 score is that, on average, pupils make less progress than similar pupils nationally from their starting points. That is not the same as saying students do not achieve, but it does indicate that outcomes are not as strong as they could be for the intake.

The English Baccalaureate related measures also point to a relatively limited share of students hitting higher thresholds in that suite, with 8.7% achieving grades 5 or above in the EBacc measure and an EBacc average point score of 3.83. For families, that often translates into two sensible questions to ask during visits or Q and A sessions: how the school balances vocational and academic pathways at Key Stage 4, and what targeted support looks like for students aiming for higher grades across a broad set of subjects.

At A-level, the sixth form is ranked 1856th in England (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), and 1st within the local area of Brighouse. This places A-level outcomes below England average overall. The grade profile is 2.86% at A*, 9.29% at A, 25.71% at B, and 37.86% at A* to B combined.

The way to use this data as a parent is comparative rather than absolute. If your child is set on a highly competitive university course, you will want to ask about subject-level outcomes, how sets are structured, and what independent study expectations look like. If your child is seeking a supportive post-16 environment with a broad offer including applied routes, then the separate sixth form site and explicit pathway structure can be attractive, provided they are organised and willing to engage with study routines.

Parents comparing local schools should use the FindMySchool Local Hub page to review GCSE and A-level outcomes side-by-side via the Comparison Tool, as the relative picture is often more meaningful than a single set of numbers.

The strongest evidence on teaching and curriculum comes from the most recent inspection documentation, which describes a broad, well-designed curriculum and highlights knowledgeable teachers who use assessment information to plan lessons that build understanding over time. The practical implication is that the school’s effectiveness is driven by consistent classroom routines, coherent subject planning, and a culture where pupils know what good learning looks like.

The curriculum intent on the school site reinforces this emphasis on a whole-school experience that includes assessment, pastoral support, and enrichment as part of the learning offer. It uses the phrase Together in Learning; Together in Life as a guiding ethos, and places literacy and careers education alongside subject study.

In literacy, the school describes a structured approach that includes reading age tracking in Key Stage 3 (using NGRT twice yearly), targeted literacy intervention, and a reading mentor scheme. The Literacy and Media Hub (LMH) is positioned as a physical and programme-based resource that supports cross-curricular events. For a student who lacks confidence in reading or extended writing, the benefit of this approach is straightforward: consistent diagnostic information plus visible support routes can prevent gaps from compounding across subjects.

At sixth form, entry routes and pathways are explicit. Students can follow an academic, vocational, mixed, or Level 2 bridging pathway, with enrichment options including EPQ, CREST Science Award, and Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. This breadth can be useful for students who are still refining their direction at 16, though it also raises the importance of strong guidance in matching students to the right pathway early.

Where Students Go Next

The dataset includes destination information for the 2023/24 leaver cohort (cohort size 139). In that cohort, 36% progressed to university, 14% started apprenticeships, 27% entered employment, and 1% went into further education.

For families, the most useful way to read these figures is as an indicator of the range of next steps rather than a single measure of success. A relatively substantial proportion going into apprenticeships and employment suggests that technical, applied, and work-focused routes matter here, and that careers education should be taken seriously by students from Year 9 onwards.

The inspection evidence supports that focus, describing well-planned careers advice and structured opportunities to explore post-16 and post-18 choices, with additional detail that sixth form students seeking employment have frequent contact with a careers adviser.

Year 7 entry is coordinated by Calderdale local authority, rather than being managed directly by the school. For September 2026 entry, the school’s admissions page states the application deadline as 31 October 2025, with offers made on National Offer Day, 1 March 2026. Calderdale’s admissions guidance also confirms that secondary applications for September 2026 close on 31 October 2025.

In-year transfers follow the council route and require the relevant in-year application process. Appeals are handled by an independent panel in line with the School Admission Appeals Code and School Admissions Code.

Because the dataset does not provide Year 7 application numbers for this school, families should treat competitiveness as an open question and validate it through Calderdale’s published admissions information and the school’s own guidance. A practical step is to use the FindMySchool Map Search to estimate your travel practicalities and shortlist sensibly, even where formal catchment boundaries are not the only factor.

For sixth form entry, the school publishes clear minimum GCSE requirements for different routes. For three A-level subjects, the stated baseline is five or more GCSEs at grade 5 to 9 including English Language and Mathematics, with additional subject-specific requirements for many courses. For vocational and mixed routes, requirements vary, including cases where a grade 4 in Mathematics may be accepted depending on subject.

Wellbeing is treated as a visible priority, with explicit teaching of skills and knowledge needed for physical and mental safety, delivered through Learning4Life lessons, Super Learning Days, form time, and assemblies. The school also references staff training and external support links, and describes student leadership groups that take wellbeing-related themes as campaign topics.

The most recent inspection documentation supports a calm behavioural climate, strong relationships, and a sense that pupils can speak to staff if worried, with bullying described as rare and addressed quickly when it occurs.

A useful, concrete example for parents is the Pride Society lunchtime club, which is presented as open to any student seeking peer support, discussion, and school visibility around LGBTQ+ themes. That sort of provision tends to matter most when a student is choosing a school where they want to feel socially safe as well as academically supported.

The wider programme is a clear strength and, importantly, it is described in named, specific ways.

First, there is a strong enrichment structure. Super Learning Days are used to suspend the normal timetable so that extended curriculum activities and visits can take place across year groups without disrupting other learning. The same programme includes structured study support at key points in Year 10, Year 11, and sixth form, including Easter and Spring Bank revision sessions. The implication is that students who engage fully can benefit from additional time-on-task and subject reinforcement, which can be especially valuable given the Progress 8 signal in the data.

Second, leadership and award pathways are clearly signposted. Sports Leaders qualifications provide practical leadership experiences, and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is actively encouraged, with the school identifying a named DofE lead. At Key Stage 4, character education content states that over 100 students participate in Duke of Edinburgh, a scale that suggests it is embedded rather than niche.

Third, there are strong creative and performance routes. The Key Stage 3 curriculum content explicitly references group performance opportunities including guitar ensemble, string group, keyboard club, choir, drama club, and musical theatre group. For students who gain confidence through performance and group participation, these named strands can materially improve belonging and motivation.

Finally, facilities and spaces matter here. The school refers to the Literacy and Media Hub (LMH) as being open outside lessons with its own timetable of activities, coordinating cross-curricular events. On the sixth form site, catering is served from The Mulberry Café, a small detail that often signals a more adult, study-centred environment post-16.

The school day starts with registration at 8.40am and finishes at 3.10pm. Breakfast club is available in the main hall each morning from 8.15am to 8.45am, and sixth form catering indicates breakfast availability from 8.00am on the sixth form site.

There is no nursery provision. This is a state school with no tuition fees; families should still expect standard costs such as uniform, trips, and optional extras such as music tuition where applicable.

For travel planning, the split-site model makes it sensible to think ahead. Students aged 16 to 18 will travel to the sixth form site, so families should factor in the post-16 commute as well as the Year 7 to 11 routine, especially if a student is likely to stay on for sixth form.

• Progress profile at GCSE. Progress 8 is -0.24 which indicates outcomes are not matching potential for similar pupils nationally. Families should ask how intervention is targeted, and how consistency is ensured across subjects.

• A-level outcomes are below England average overall. The A-level ranking sits below England average overall, so students aiming for very competitive post-18 routes should ask subject leaders about course-level performance, independent study expectations, and how tutoring or structured study sessions are used.

• Separate sixth form site. Many students enjoy the increased independence and focused study culture. Others prefer a single-site environment. It is worth checking how travel, timetable, and pastoral support work across the two sites.

• Admissions deadlines are immovable. For September 2026 entry, the deadline is 31 October 2025. If this school is on your shortlist, plan early and keep Calderdale’s process in view.

Brighouse High School suits families who want a large, structured comprehensive with clear expectations on behaviour, visible wellbeing work, and a sixth form that feels like a deliberate step up. The wider programme, including Duke of Edinburgh, leadership routes, and named performing arts groups, gives students multiple ways to belong and build confidence.

It is best suited to students who respond well to routines and who will use the academic support and enrichment on offer, especially as GCSE progress measures suggest outcomes can depend heavily on engagement and consistency. Families interested in this option should use the Saved Schools feature to manage comparisons across Calderdale and keep admissions dates, travel practicalities, and sixth form fit in one place.