Breckenbrough School
Breckenbrough School is a non-maintained special school in Thirsk for boys aged 9 to 19. It has 71 pupils, 1 more than it has places for. About 7 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.
Sandhutton, Thirsk, YO7 4EN01845 587238breckenbrough.org.ukMr Simon Bannister headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 30 April 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
9 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | North Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 15 | 9 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 20.1 | 29.0 | 13.9 | 23.3 | 23.4 | 20.8 | 47.1 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -1.51 | -2.51 | -1.83 | -2.92 | -1.79 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 11% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 48% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 11% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 68% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 2.04 | 2.87 | 1.46 | 2.26 | 2.30 | 1.91 | 4.17 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 37% | 41% |
Subjects
Results came out for 2 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combined Science | 8 | 0% | 38% | 63% | 36% | – |
| Mathematics | 7 | 14% | 14% | 57% | 53% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to North Yorkshire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, social, emotional and mental health.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in North Yorkshire with autism provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (69), emotional and mental health (2).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 71 | 72 | 69 | 66 | 69 | 67 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 6% | 7% | 6% | 6% | 10% | 12% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 1% | 1% | 1% | 2% | 1% | 0% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 88.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 11.6% | 14.9% | 17.6% | 15.0% | 28.7% | 14.8% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 9.6% | 12.0% | 13.8% | 12.2% | 25.9% | 13.9% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.0% | 2.9% | 3.8% | 2.8% | 2.8% | 0.9% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 30.5% | 37.9% | 52.8% | 51.9% | 74.5% | 38.5% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 11.1 | 18.8 | 53.0 | 29.0 | 3.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 9 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 100% | 89% | 100% | 100% |
| Education | 100% | 78% | 92% | 100% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 11% | 0% | 0% |
| Work | 0% | 0% | 8% | 0% |
| Not in education, work or training | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlton Miniott Primary Academy | Academy | 1.4 miles | 196 | Good 2023 | 77 | Compare |
| Pickhill Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 2.4 miles | 60 | Good 2023 | 24 | Compare |
| South Kilvington Church of England Academy | Academy | 2.6 miles | 85 | Report card 2026 | 94 | Compare |
| Sowerby Primary Academy | Academy | 2.8 miles | 279 | Good 2022 | 31 | Compare |
| South Otterington Church of England Primary School | Academy | 2.9 miles | 109 | No overall grade 2024 | 67 | Compare |
| All Saints Catholic Primary School, a Catholic Voluntary Academy | Academy | 2.9 miles | 94 | Good 2023 | 43 | Compare |
| Thirsk School & Sixth Form College | Council | 2.9 miles | 1,029 | Report card 2026 | 33 | Compare |
| Alanbrooke Academy | Academy | 2.9 miles | 27 | No overall grade 2025 | 100 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Breckenbrough School a good school?
Breckenbrough School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in April 2024.
What is Breckenbrough School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Breckenbrough School good at its last full inspection on 30 April 2024.
How good are Breckenbrough School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 0% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 20.1, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Breckenbrough School have?
71 pupils aged 9 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 70 places, so it is 101% full. It is a boys' school.
What is attendance like at Breckenbrough School?
Pupils were in school 88.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 31% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does Breckenbrough School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for autism, social, emotional and mental health. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
Does Breckenbrough School have a sixth form?
Yes.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Sandhutton, Thirsk, YO7 4EN
- Telephone
- 01845 587238
- Website
- www.breckenbrough.org.uk
- Headteacher
- Mr Simon Bannister
- Type of school
- Non-maintained special school (Non-maintained special school, special schools)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 9-19, with sixth form
- Gender
- Boys
- Local authority
- North Yorkshire
- Ward
- Thirsk
- Constituency
- Thirsk and Malton
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- URN
- 121765 · LAESTAB 8157002 · UKPRN 10017949
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.