John Smeaton Academy, Leeds

In 2026, pupils at John Smeaton Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 36.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.7 in Leeds and 47 across England.

28% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 48% in Leeds and 47% in England.

That is up from 29.5 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.9: pupils made well below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 31.7, against 41.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 9.9 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 20 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Art and Design.

For September 2026 entry, 156 families put John Smeaton Academy as their first choice and 438 named it as one of their preferences, for 166 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 7 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to John Smeaton Academy are Leeds East Academy (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 31.4); Temple Moor High School (1.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44); Bishop Young Church of England Academy (1.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 37.4); and Temple Learning Academy (2.4 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 30.7).

John Smeaton Academy's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.

John Smeaton Academy is one of 15 schools run by The Gorse Academies Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 49.4 in 2024/25.

Of the 147 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 74% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 54% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.

40.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 10.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (76%) and Black (5%).

In 2026, 90 pupils (13.3%) received SEN support and 52 (7.7%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.

John Smeaton Academy has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 40 places, 40 pupils on roll.

The nearest railway station is Cross Gates Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.

12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Smeaton Approach (on), 100 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood John Smeaton Academy stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, John Smeaton Academy issued 359 suspensions, 58.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to John Smeaton Academy are Manston Primary (0.5 miles), Manston St James Primary Academy (0.5 miles), St Theresa's Catholic Primary School (0.7 miles) and Swarcliffe Primary School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.