Cockburn Reach Academy, Leeds
Cockburn Reach Academy is a special school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Leeds. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2026, ended in a report card: 4 strong standard and 2 expected standard.
- Ofsted report card
- 4 of 6 areas strong or better
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Cockburn Reach Academy in detail
What Ofsted's report card says
Ofsted's report card from its 3 February 2026 inspection grades Cockburn Reach Academy on 6 areas: 4 strong standard and 2 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.
Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Pupils attend well."
Inclusion - Strong standard. "This is a highly inclusive place to learn."
Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Leaders act diligently."
Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "The school's offer for personal development is of high quality."
Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils achieve well from their starting points and during their short time at the school."
Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "The school's curriculum is broad and highly ambitious."
Safeguarding standards were met.
Ofsted's next steps for the school: "• Through the consistent use of pedagogical approaches, leaders should ensure that pupils who are learning to write practise and embed the important skills needed to write effectively before moving on to more complex concepts".
Read the full report card on Ofsted's site (school website)
Source: Ofsted report card (Open Government Licence), quoted
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Cockburn Reach Academy are Fountain House Education Suite (0.4 miles); Future Horizons Leeds Ltd (0.8 miles, Requires improvement); Co-op Academy Brierley (1.3 miles); and Swarthmore Education Centre (1.4 miles).
Fountain House Education SuiteFuture Horizons Leeds LtdCo-op Academy BrierleySwarthmore Education Centre
Who goes there
In 2026, 27 pupils (84.4%) received SEN support and 5 (15.6%) had an education, health and care plan.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Leeds Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Northcote Crescent, 110 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Cockburn Reach Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 1005 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Leeds (229), as is usual near a town centre.
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 months agoReport card - no single overall grade (Ofsted's framework since January 2026 for independent schools)
Safeguarding standards met
- Attendance and behaviourStrong standard
- InclusionStrong standard
- Leadership and governanceStrong standard
- Personal development and wellbeingStrong standard
- AchievementExpected standard
- Curriculum and teachingExpected standard
Safeguarding standards: met
Independent school standards
Met all the independent school standards.
- Part 1: quality of educationMet
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementMet
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted's report card, in its own words
What it's like to be a pupil at Cockburn Reach Academy
This school is highly effective in helping pupils get back on track with their learning. Well-skilled leaders and staff ably support pupils through carefully considered approaches to re-engage with school life positively. Pupils attend this school for a temporary period. Most pupils have experienced disruption to their learning before joining. All pupils in the school have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils enjoy coming to school. The school has the highest aspirations for them. Pupils benefit from a curriculum that supports their learning and helps them understand how to regulate their behaviour. The curriculum enables pupils to focus on their learning well and attend school more regularly. From the start of a placement, staff prioritise getting to know pupils. They build highly effective and trusting relationships with pupils to help them get back on track. Pupils feel like they belong. The school's detailed knowledge of pupils helps them to behave well with more consistency over time, so learning is not disrupted. Connections between pupils' home schools and this school also play an important role in pupils' success. Pupils attend their home school every week to maintain relationships with peers and staff. This helps pupils reintegrate to school successfully when they are ready. Pupils feel safe. They have trusted adults they can talk to. The school's personal development offer is central to this. This offer, including the personal, social and health education curriculum, is carefully designed. It equips pupils with the essential skills and knowledge they need. Pupils access a wide range of enrichment opportunities linked to visits and learning life skills. For example, they visit the coast, go on residentials and learn life skills such as using the local post office. This helps pupils understand the world they live in with purpose.
What Ofsted says the school should do next
- • Through the consistent use of pedagogical approaches, leaders should ensure that pupils who are learning to write practise and embed the important skills needed to write effectively before moving on to more complex concepts.
From Ofsted's report card (inspection 3 February 2026). Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's July 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Cockburn Reach Academy demonstrates strong leadership and a genuine commitment to nurturing pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. The school has robust systems in place to keep pupils safe, well-maintained facilities, and careful plans for growth that protect the wellbeing of both existing and new pupils. Staff receive thorough training and understand their responsibilities for safeguarding and supervision.
Key Strengths
- Strong safeguarding culture with regular staff training and effective systems to keep pupils safe
- Well-qualified and experienced leadership team committed to quality education and pupil wellbeing
- Comprehensive health and safety policies with regular checks and full compliance with fire safety regulations
- Thoughtful plans for expansion that maintain appropriate staff-to-pupil ratios and consider pupils' specific vulnerabilities
- Excellent premises with bright, well-maintained classrooms and good outdoor spaces for learning
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is effective - the school has a positive safeguarding culture with regular staff training, secure systems to record and escalate concerns, and staff who understand how to recognise and report risks to pupils.
Extracurricular Activities
Physical education, swimming lessons at local leisure centre
Cockburn Reach Academy is a special school serving pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. This material change inspection found the school is likely to meet independent school standards if its proposal to increase pupil numbers is approved.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Latest from Cockburn Reach Academy
Generous Gift Transforms Outdoor Learning
12 Jun 2026
'TRANSFORMATION TO EXCELLENCE' JOURNEY RECOGNISED BY OFSTED.
12 Jun 2026
Feedback from our Referring Schools
12 Jan 2026
Feedback from our Parents/Carers
5 Jan 2026
From Cockburn Reach Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Cockburn Reach Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 74
- Fatal
- 2
- Serious
- 19
- Children hurt
- 8
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 74 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 19 serious and 53 slight.
8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise.
13 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Leeds is 18.5 (the median across 308 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
40%
Available places
32 pupils
80 places
48 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Leeds
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Leeds
Across Leeds council
Places available
10,015
Applications
9,313
Got 1st preference
83.2%
Got preferred school
95.4%
All secondary applications across Leeds council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(3)
Independent school standard inspection - first
Met all the independent school standards.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
27
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Cockburn Reach Academy is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
32
Total Pupils
25
Boys
7
Girls
2026 academic year
Linked Schools
Schools linked by geographic proximity
Questions parents ask about Cockburn Reach Academy
Does Cockburn Reach Academy meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in February 2026, Cockburn Reach Academy met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Cockburn Reach Academy?
Cockburn Reach Academy has around 32 pupils on roll.
Does Cockburn Reach Academy have specialist SEN provision?
Cockburn Reach Academy is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Cockburn Reach Academy?
Cockburn Reach Academy is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Cockburn Reach Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 74 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 19 serious and 53 slight. 8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise. 13 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Leeds is 18.5 (the median across 308 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Cockburn Reach Academy?
Cockburn Reach Academy is at Northcote Crescent, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS11 6NN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)