Thirsk School & Sixth Form College
Community secondary school in Thirsk (North Yorkshire).
Attainment 8
38.4
▼ 7.8 England 2025/26 provisional: 46.2
2025/26 provisional
English & maths 5+
23.4%
▼ 23pp England 2025/26 provisional: 46.3%
2025/26 provisional
Attendance rate
90.8%
▼ 1pp England 2024/25: 91.6%
2024/25 academic year
Pupil : Teacher
17.1
▲ 0.4 England 2025/26: 16.7
2025/26
Eligible for free school meals
21.6%
▼ 6pp England 2025/26: 27.3%
school census 15/01/2026
Teacher turnover
10.0%
▼ 4pp England 2024/25: 14.2% (secondary schools)
2024/25
Capacity
82%
1,029 / 1,255 pupils
register figure (GIAS)
Ofsted
Report card
inspected Mar 2026
Location
iSchool location from Get Information about Schools. Nearby schools are coloured by phase. Open Map+ for a full-screen map with neighbourhood deprivation (England only).About
Thirsk School & Sixth Form College is a secondary school located in Thirsk, North Yorkshire. The school caters for boys and girls aged 11 to 18. The Headteacher is Emma Lambden.
In the school’s own words, from the school website.
Enrichment
16 activitiesiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Athletics
- Chess
- Climbing
- Coding
- Cooking
- Cricket
- Dance
- Debating
- Drama
- Duke of Edinburgh
- Football
- Lego
- Sewing
- Table Tennis
- Tennis
- Textiles
Awards
2 awardsiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Duke of EdinburghPersonal development
- Food for LifeRecognised award
Key facts
- URN
- 121666
- Type
- Community school
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Sixth form
- Has a sixth form
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Local authority
- North Yorkshire
- Constituency
- Thirsk and Malton
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
Governing body (10 current, 6 former)
Maintained school governing body.
Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs Ann Baxter | Chair of Governors | Nominated by LA and appointed by GB | since 2026 · until 2029 |
| Mr Nick Horn Former | Chair of Governors | Appointed by GB/board | since 2021 · term ended 2026 |
Full governing body
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Paul Jackson | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Mr Lee Harris-Hamer | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mrs Johanne McKee | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Miss Hazel Elliott | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mr Guy Baragwanath | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mrs Annabel Richardson | Governor | Elected by school staff | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mrs Emma Hutchings | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mrs Irene Marwood | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Miss Emma Lambden | Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2018 |
| Mrs Ann Baxter Former | Governor | Nominated by LA and appointed by GB | since 2025 · term ended 2026 |
| Ms Caron Morrison Former | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2025 · term ended 2026 |
| Mr Mark Chadwick Former | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · term ended 2025 |
| Mr Paul Burkinshaw Former | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2020 · term ended 2025 |
| Ms Alison Keane Former | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2020 · term ended 2025 |
Source: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (governance records, as at 25 October 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Names are shown as published; there are no addresses or contact details. Current and former are worked out from term end dates when the page loads. Object or ask for removal · Report an issue with this record