Breckenbrough School
Sandhutton, Thirsk, YO7 4ENOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Breckenbrough School is a special school in Thirsk for ages 9 to 19. It is one of the 376 schools in North Yorkshire. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in April 2024.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 30 April 2024, report published 9 June 2024
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form provision
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 30 April 2024
Breckenbrough School is a calm and nurturing place. Pupils benefit from warm relationships and an ethos of positively resolving conflict. This helps them to regulate and improve their behaviour. Pupils' experience is significantly enhanced by their personal keyworker. Pupils trust and respect this adult who supports them. They are safe and happy in their school. Over time, pupils make strong progress in their social skills. Older students mentor younger pupils. Pupils from all age groups enjoy playing sport together at lunchtime. Pupils enjoy an increasingly effective academic curriculum. They are proud to share their work and achievements. In the sixth form, students are confident learners. Several go on to achieve places at prestigious universities. With guidance, pupils set personal goals. This helps staff match learning and care to pupils' unique and varied interests. Personal development is at the heart of the school's work. Pupils are carefully encouraged to become increasingly independent and adventurous. They flourish in an exceptional outdoor education curriculum. In these weekly sessions, they experience caving, climbing, canoeing and more. Pupils develop important character traits. These include teamwork and confidence. They use these transferrable skills to overcome other challenges in their lives.
What the school should improve
- In some subjects, assessment is not closely matched to the aims of the curriculum. The school does not understand how effectively pupils are acquiring the knowledge and skills they have identified. The school should intensify its actions to review and improve assessment strategies.
- The curriculums in the primary and secondary phases are not coherently linked. Pupils in key stage 2 are not as prepared as they could be for their next steps, and pupils in key stage 3 do not consistently build on prior knowledge. The school should ensure there is continuity in the curriculum and that this is understood well by staff.
Exam results
GCSE results (key stage 4), 2024/25
9 pupils in the year group
Pupil numbers and mix
71 pupils on roll, with places for 70
Schools near Breckenbrough School
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Dales School | 7 miles | Ofsted: Good | Not published |
| Cambian Spring Hill | 8 miles | Ofsted: Good | Attainment 8: 13.0 |
| Mowbray Academy | 8 miles | Ofsted: Good | Not published |
| The Forest School | 16 miles | Ofsted judgements: Good to outstanding | Not published |
| Springwater Academy | 17 miles | Ofsted: Good | Not published |
School details
- School type
- Non-maintained special school
- Sector
- Other
- Age range
- 9 to 19
- Gender
- Boys
- Boarding places
- Yes
- Headteacher
- Mr Simon Bannister
- Phone
- 01845587238
- Address
- Sandhutton, Thirsk, YO7 4EN
- Local authority
- North Yorkshire
- URN
- 121765
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.