Graham School Review 2026: Secondary with clear routines, strong personal development, and a busy improvement agenda

A secondary school that puts routines and readiness to learn at the centre of daily life, with a clear focus on behaviour expectations, reading, and personal development. Students are taught within a broad Key Stage 3 curriculum, then move into a structured Key Stage 4 offer that includes both GCSE and vocational pathways. The latest Ofsted inspection (27 and 28 June 2023) judged the school Requires Improvement overall, with Personal Development graded Good and safeguarding confirmed as effective.

The school is part of Heartwood Learning Trust, and its published values (Honesty, Empathy, Aspiration, Resilience, Teamwork) are used as the organising language for expectations and culture.

The school’s public-facing message is simple and consistent: Grow, Learn and Achieve together. That emphasis on growth, not just outcomes, shows up in how the school talks about character, citizenship, and personal development, including assemblies that focus on themes like acceptance, diversity, and risk-taking behaviours.

Day-to-day expectations are framed through a Positive Discipline model. Students are taught the approach during transition and then revisit it through fortnightly lessons that help them review choices and routines with tutors and leaders. The standards are explicit, including preparation protocols at the start of lessons, expectations about listening and participation, and a calm end-of-lesson routine. Around the site, the model extends to consistent guidance on movement, uniform, and respect for the environment.

A distinctive cultural decision is the move to a phone-free approach using pouches, with sanctions if a phone is seen outside the pouch during the school day. For many families, this is a practical signal that attention, social time, and lessons are being protected from digital distraction.

This school is a state secondary serving students aged 11 to 16, so there are no tuition fees. Academic outcomes should be read alongside the school’s stated improvement journey and the inspection picture that points to inconsistency between subjects, even while curriculum planning is being strengthened.

Ranked 3,448th in England and 4th in Scarborough for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data)

The school’s headline GCSE accountability measures indicate:

• Attainment 8: 36.1

• Progress 8: -0.53

• EBacc average point score: 3.14 (England average: 4.08)

For families, the key implication is that outcomes are currently below where most parents would want them to be, and improvement needs to be sustained across subjects, not just in pockets. The inspection evidence aligns with that, describing science as more secure while other subjects are less embedded in practice, which can leave students with uneven recall over time.

Curriculum planning is presented as broad at Key Stage 3, with students studying core academic subjects alongside practical and creative areas. The published model includes rotation through food, textiles, workshop technology, dance and drama once per fortnight, which matters because it keeps the early secondary years genuinely varied rather than narrowly exam-shaped from Year 7.

Reading is positioned as a whole-school priority. The school describes a dedicated Reading Team working from a bespoke Reading Room, supported by a library and librarian who also runs clubs intended to build reading habits and confidence. This is reinforced in the inspection report, which notes a carefully considered approach to encouraging reading and targeted support for pupils who need intervention.

At Key Stage 4, the offer is designed to combine GCSE options with a practical and vocational menu. The published list includes, among others, Creative iMedia, Health and Social Care, Hospitality and Catering, Enterprise and Marketing, and a range of design and technology qualifications, alongside GCSEs such as geography, history, French, Spanish, and separate sciences for some students. The school states that it encourages the full EBacc route but does not require it, and that students are placed on one of two pathways based on prior attainment and discussion to match needs.

Homework and independent practice are supported through structured guidance on independent study, and the school uses Sparx for maths and science practice, with an explicit focus on recall and review.

Where Students Go Next

With no sixth form on site, the practical question is progression at 16. The school’s careers programme is designed around personalised guidance, including one-to-one support beginning in Year 10 and follow-up in Year 11, plus encounters with employers, college and university visits, and work experience opportunities.

The school publicly signposts common post-16 destinations in the region, including Scarborough Sixth Form College, Scarborough TEC, York College, and Bishop Burton College.

This is a sensible, locally grounded pipeline. For families, the best way to evaluate it is to ask how well students are prepared for those next steps, particularly in English and maths re-sits if needed, and whether students who are uncertain at 14 to 16 are guided towards a realistic mix of academic and technical options.

Admissions operate through North Yorkshire’s co-ordinated secondary transfer scheme, with the school’s Published Admission Number set at 240 places for Year 7 in the relevant published policy.

For September 2026 entry, North Yorkshire’s published dates include:

• Application round opens 12 September 2025

• Deadline to apply 31 October 2025

• Last date for changes 30 November 2025

The school’s own admissions policy materials also reflect the national rhythm, with offers issued on the early March offer day, and waiting lists held until late December in the 2026 to 2027 policy.

Demand data indicates the school is oversubscribed on the primary-to-secondary transfer route, with 273 applications for 173 offers which equates to about 1.58 applications per place offered. This is competitive, but not at the extreme end seen in the most oversubscribed urban secondaries.

Parents shortlisting should use FindMySchool’s Map Search to check their location against the school’s admission arrangements and tie-break rules, then track annual changes. Where the local authority uses distance or defined areas, small changes in applicant distribution can shift the cut-off year to year.

Pastoral systems are described as layered. Students have form tutors and Heads of Year, and the school links wellbeing, attendance, and behaviour directly to academic progress.

The school provides a dedicated mental health and wellbeing information hub for families, including materials on stress, social media pressure, bullying, and routes to support, alongside signposting to NHS-linked services such as the Wellbeing in Mind Team.

SEND is framed as an integral part of whole-school life rather than a separate track. The school describes SEND learning passports and a set of adaptive teaching strategies, including approaches associated with Teaching WalkThrus and Education Endowment Foundation principles, with curriculum quality assurance involving SEND leadership and subject leads.

The inspection evidence adds an important operational detail: there is an on-site provision called The Hub for pupils who struggle in mainstream lessons, described as well-equipped and modern, with an adapted curriculum aimed at building resilience and social skills before reintegration into regular lessons with targeted support.

Enrichment is organised around accessible, timetable-based provision rather than a badge system that only the most confident students join. The published programme includes breakfast provision and after-school sessions that mix sport, arts, study, and identity-safe spaces.

Specific examples currently listed include:

• Breakfast Club before school, positioned as a warm space to socialise

• Safe Space (LGBTQ+)

• Switch Club (gaming)

• Enterprise Challenge (start and run a business in school)

• Chess Club (student-led) and a Pokemon card club

• Matilda rehearsals and Dance Club

• Independent Study sessions in the library

The presence of structured independent study time after school is a practical signal for families who want predictable support for homework and revision, especially for students who benefit from routine, supervision, or quiet space. Meanwhile, the combination of performance rehearsals and enterprise activity suggests that the school is trying to broaden students’ identities beyond “academic” and “sport”, a useful cultural lever in schools working to raise aspiration and engagement.

The published school day runs 8:45am to 3:15pm, with total weekly hours stated as 32 hours 30 minutes.

Transport is supported through published bus timetable information, including services connecting areas such as West Ayton, Eastfield, and Seamer. The school is clear that it does not set services or fares, and that provision includes both contracted and commercial routes.

There is no nursery or sixth form provision on site. For wraparound, the enrichment timetable includes a breakfast offer and multiple after-school clubs on most days, which will matter to working families, although families should confirm whether any supervised late provision exists beyond club finish times.

• Inspection outcome and improvement pace. The most recent inspection judged the school Requires Improvement, with leaders asked to strengthen curriculum implementation, knowledge recall, behaviour around school, and attendance. Families should ask what has changed since 2023, and how progress is being measured.

• Behaviour beyond lessons. The inspection describes a contrast between calmer lessons and less consistent conduct in corridors and social spaces, plus a high use of seclusion that had not reduced over time at the point of inspection. This is worth probing on tour, especially for students who are sensitive to noise and unpredictability.

• Attendance remains a key lever. The inspection notes small improvements but also that too many pupils do not attend regularly, limiting learning. Families should ask about attendance support, early intervention, and how absence is followed up.

• No in-house post-16 route. With progression at 16, the quality of careers guidance and transition planning matters. The school describes one-to-one guidance and close links with local colleges, but families should check how subject choices and intervention support are aligned to each student’s intended next step.

Graham School is a local 11 to 16 secondary with clear values, explicit routines, and a practical enrichment offer that includes protected study time, arts rehearsals, and inclusive spaces. The limiting factor is not ambition, it is consistency, with outcomes and inspection evidence pointing to the need for sustained improvement in curriculum delivery, behaviour beyond lessons, and attendance.

Best suited to families who want a structured school day, strong clarity on expectations, and an approach that takes reading, careers, and personal development seriously. Families for whom exam outcomes are the single non-negotiable should scrutinise current improvement impact, and ask for the most recent subject-level evidence before committing.