Ormston School, Leeds
Ormston School is a special school for pupils aged 5 to 18 in Leeds. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2025. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Ormston School in detail
Ormston School in its own words
Coming up: an open day on Tuesday 1 December 2026 and an open day on Tuesday 9 March 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Ormston School are Lighthouse Futures Trust (under 0.1 miles, Good); West Oaks School (1.4 miles, Outstanding); Penny Field School (1.4 miles, Good); and Swarthmore Education Centre (1.7 miles).
Lighthouse Futures TrustWest Oaks SchoolPenny Field SchoolSwarthmore Education Centre
What parents say
12 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Ormston School (as of September 2025): 92% would recommend the school, 83% say their child is happy there and 86% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (100%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (75%).
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Ormston School has an education, health and care plan (42 of 42 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Burley Park Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Grove Road, 160 metres away.
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport)
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 10 months agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
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 Insights
From Ofsted's December 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Ormston School provides specialist support for children with autism and other special educational needs through a well-planned expansion. The school has invested in excellent facilities including science labs and sensory rooms, maintains rigorous health and safety standards, and works closely with local authorities and external agencies to ensure pupils receive the right support.
Key Strengths
- Highly effective health and safety policies with rigorous checks including fire safety, water temperature testing, and timely maintenance
- Excellent safeguarding practices with sufficient designated leads, up-to-date policies, and strong partnership working with external agencies
- Well-renovated secondary provision with specialist facilities including science laboratory, art room, and sensory rooms to support learning and behaviour regulation
- Careful, strategic plan for gradual expansion with appropriate staff recruitment and onboarding before pupils arrive
- Strong leadership and governance with quality assurance systems to maintain standards
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is effective - the school has sufficient designated safeguarding leads, up-to-date policies reflecting latest statutory guidance, staff training to recognise harm, proactive online safety recommendations to families, and strong partnership working with external agencies.
Ormston School is a special school for pupils aged 5-18 with education, health and care plans, predominantly those with autism. The school is expanding from 40 to 100 pupils and is likely to meet all independent school standards if this material change is approved.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
12 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Latest from Ormston School
Online Safety Newsletter - September 2026
14 Sep 2026
Newsletter 50 - 2nd September 2026
2 Sep 2026
Celebrating Our Young Marketers at Ormston!
4 Aug 2026
Staff Updates
21 Jul 2026
Issue 49 - 17th July 2026
17 Jul 2026
High Ropes Medical Consent Form
30 Jun 2026
From Ormston School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Ormston School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 77
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 21
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 77 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 21 serious and 56 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot.
10 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
42%
Available places
42 pupils
100 places
58 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)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
42
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Ormston School 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
42
Total Pupils
35
Boys
7
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Ormston School
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Ormston School
What is Ormston School's Ofsted rating?
Ormston School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2025, it was rated Good.
Does Ormston School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in July 2025, Ormston School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Ormston School?
Ormston School has around 42 pupils on roll.
Does Ormston School have specialist SEN provision?
Ormston School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Ormston School?
Ormston School 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 Ormston School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 77 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 21 serious and 56 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot. 10 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 Ormston School?
Ormston School is at Alma Road, Headingley, Leeds, LS6 2AH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)