Wensleydale School
Community secondary school in Leyburn (North Yorkshire).
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
Wensleydale School is here for one reason: to help all of our students realise their dreams. To do this, we make sure that our young people feel part of our safe and caring community and challenge them to grasp every opportunity that their education offers.
They can then leave us with the strongest possible set of exam results, outstanding inter-personal skills and a real understanding about where their passions and talents lie. These are the qualities and traits that I think are critical to a good education. They open doors for young people, and the more doors they have open - the more choice they have.
While it is easy to make bold statements like this, it is much harder for a parent to grasp what is simply rhetoric, and what is the reality of a school. At Wensleydale there are tangible outcomes to show that we are setting our standards high. Ofsted has praised the work that we do. Our exam results exceed the national average and are continuing on a very positive trajectory.
We regularly compete and excel against schools much bigger than ourselves.
In the school’s own words, from the school website.
Enrichment
37 activitiesiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- High School Musical
- Personal Business Finance
- Samba Ensemble
- Word games
- Journalism and Media
- Website Development
- Cartoons and graphic novels
- Bell Ringing
- Japanese puzzles and games
- Knitting club
- Green Screen editing
- Cooking
- Careers Advice and Guidance
- Photography
- Walking Club
- Debate society
and 21 more
Awards
2 awardsiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Healthy SchoolsHealth and wellbeing
- Duke of EdinburghPersonal development
Key facts
- URN
- 121679
- Type
- Community school
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Sixth form
- Does not have a sixth form
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Local authority
- North Yorkshire
- Constituency
- Richmond and Northallerton
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
Governing body (11 current, 1 former)
Maintained school governing body.
Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ms Molly Dalton | Chair of Governors | Appointed by GB/board | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Rev Stephen Hanscombe Former | Chair of Governors | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · term ended 2026 |
Full governing body
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Matthew Gildersleeve | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Mrs Louise Fieldgate | Governor | Appointed by LA | since 2026 · until 2028 |
| Mr Gary Smith | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mrs Grace (known as Avery) Lundie | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Revd Stephen Hanscombe | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Ms Julie Cooper | Governor | Elected by school staff | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mrs Nicola Waring | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mrs Judith Mills | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mr Robert Spensely | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Headteacher Julia Polley | Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2016 |
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