Filey School Review 2026: A coastal secondary focused on rebuilding standards

The most recent published GCSE performance indicators suggest outcomes remain below England averages in several measures. Attainment 8 is 39.1, compared with an England average of 45.9. Progress 8 is -0.27, indicating students make less progress than similar students nationally.

In FindMySchool’s GCSE ranking (based on official data), Filey School is ranked 2,960th in England. This places performance below England average overall, within the bottom 40% of schools in England on this measure. Locally, it ranks 1st in the Filey area.

The EBacc picture is a particular weak spot on the available figures. The average EBacc point score is 3.48 (England average 4.08), and 10.5% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above across EBacc subjects.

The clearest evidence of approach is where the school spells out how learning is structured. One example is the “Learning Journey” model described on the website, intended to show sequence and purpose at the start of each unit, and to help students revisit prior work when applying knowledge to new topics.

Reading and literacy work is also an explicit improvement strand. Ofsted describes strengthened support for struggling readers, including additional reading sessions led by specialist-trained staff, while also noting that some older pupils still have gaps that need to be closed.

At subject level, English highlights targeted interventions and programmes, including Ruth Miskin Fresh Start, Reading Plus, and Rapid Plus, alongside stretch activities such as book and debate clubs for stronger readers.

With no sixth form on site, the core question for families is preparation for post-16 routes. External evaluation describes independent careers advice, employer input, and visits to further education settings as part of how the school builds next-step awareness and aspiration.

A practical implication of a school without a sixth form is that planning needs to start earlier than many families expect. Students benefit when they have time to compare local sixth forms, colleges, and apprenticeship routes, and when subject choices at Key Stage 4 are aligned to realistic post-16 plans.

Year 7 admissions are coordinated through North Yorkshire Council, with a published policy setting out a Planned Admission Number of 120 places for September 2026 entry.

The local authority’s published timeline for September 2026 secondary transfer gives clear anchor dates: applications opened on 12 September 2025; the deadline was 31 October 2025; and National Offer Day is 2 March 2026.

Where the school is oversubscribed, the admissions policy prioritises (in order) looked-after and previously looked-after children, exceptional medical or social needs, catchment priority area, eligible children of staff, and siblings, with distance and then random allocation used as tie-break mechanisms where required.

Parents who want to sanity-check how realistic a place is from their address should use the FindMySchool Map Search alongside the council’s published catchment tools, especially when a move is being considered primarily for admissions.

Safeguarding is confirmed as effective in the latest formal inspection, which provides an important baseline for families.

The areas most relevant to wellbeing, and also most likely to feel different between students, relate to behaviour and attendance. The school’s own improvement work has reduced persistent absence, but it remains too high for some groups. Behaviour systems are described as improving, yet not fully effective, with disruption and suspension patterns still needing further reduction.

A sensible approach for prospective families is to probe practical specifics during transition conversations: how staff respond to low-level disruption in lessons, what happens after a reported bullying concern, and what targeted attendance support looks like for students who struggle to attend regularly.

Extracurricular and enrichment matter most when they are concrete, regular, and accessible to the full ability range. One tangible example is the KS3 STEM Club, which runs weekly after school on Thursdays (3:10pm to 4:10pm), focusing on hands-on problem solving and teamwork.

The curriculum pages also point to wider participation routes: Performing Arts references drama and production clubs that build towards performances involving parents, and English refers to book and debate clubs used both for stretch and confidence-building.

Sport provision is described as broad, including activities such as football, netball, rugby, basketball, athletics, badminton, table tennis, cricket and fitness training. For many students, sport and practical clubs are where belonging and routine are easiest to establish, which can support attendance and engagement when classroom confidence is still developing.

The compulsory school day runs from 08:40 to 15:10, with a warning bell at 08:35.

Transport is supported through regular bus services that stop at the school, and the school also describes a limited private transport service for students outside the catchment, managed through the parent app. Families should treat any timetable as subject to operator change and check the most current version before relying on it for a new routine.

• Consistency between classrooms. Official review highlights that curriculum delivery and classroom practice are not consistently strong, which can affect students who need steady routines to stay engaged.

• Attendance remains a core lever. Persistent absence has reduced but is still too high for some groups; families may need to commit to joint work with the school if attendance has been difficult historically.

• Behaviour trajectory, not a finished story. Behaviour management is improving but not yet where leaders want it, and disruption can still affect learning time.

• Below-average outcomes on published measures. GCSE indicators remain below England averages, so families should prioritise understanding how improvement plans translate into classroom practice and support.

Filey School is best understood as a coastal secondary in a defined improvement phase, with clearer systems and some measurable progress, but with uneven implementation that still affects learning consistency. It suits families who want a local, accessible school and who value a straightforward approach to rebuilding routines, attendance, and expectations. The key decision factor is whether the school’s improvement work aligns with your child’s needs, particularly around classroom consistency and resilience in the face of disruption.