The Farnley Academy, Leeds
The Farnley Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 18 in Leeds, part of The Gorse Academies Trust. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2023. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 21st-highest of the 37 schools in Leeds with published results, and 1,514th of 3,298 across England. It was full in 2025, at 102% of capacity.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2023)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Well above average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Leeds (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Farnley Academy in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at The Farnley Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 46.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.7 in Leeds and 47 across England.
45% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 48% in Leeds and 47% in England.
That is down from 49.1 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.53: pupils made well above 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 38.7, against 51.3 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 12.6 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Art and Design.
Getting a place at The Farnley Academy
For September 2026 entry, 317 families put The Farnley Academy as their first choice and 767 named it as one of their preferences, for 295 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 39 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to The Farnley Academy are Dixons Unity Academy (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 40.3); Crawshaw Academy (1.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.6); Pudsey Grammar School (2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.4); and Leeds West Academy (2.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 39.9).
The Farnley Academy's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Dixons Unity AcademyCrawshaw AcademyPudsey Grammar SchoolLeeds West Academy
The trust
The Farnley 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.
What parents say
45 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Farnley Academy (as of September 2025): 93% would recommend the school, 96% say their child is happy there and 93% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (98%); the weakest, that their child feels safe (91%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 297 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 82% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 44% to a further education college, 5% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.
Who goes there
35.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 12.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (70%), Black (9%) and Mixed (7%).
In 2026, 263 pupils (17.6%) received SEN support and 17 (1.1%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Bramley Rail Station, about 1.7 miles away in a straight line.
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Farnley Academy (opposite), 220 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Farnley Academy issued 315 suspensions, 21 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to The Farnley Academy are Lawns Park Primary School (0.2 miles), Cobden Primary School (0.4 miles), Ryecroft Academy (0.5 miles) and Lower Wortley Primary School (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Lawns Park Primary SchoolCobden Primary SchoolRyecroft AcademyLower Wortley Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its September 2023 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
About
The Farnley Academy is a secondary school serving the Farnley, New Farnley and Wortley wards of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
35.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
45 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has declined from 0.72 to 0.53 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 50.5 to 46.7 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 56% to 45% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 46.7 | 44.9% |
| Disadvantaged(107) | - | 38.7 | 29.9% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(187) | - | 51.3 | 53.5% |
| Boys(159) | - | 48.1 | 50.9% |
| Girls(135) | - | 45.1 | 37.8% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(31) | - | 53.3 | 51.6% |
| Non mobile(283) | - | 47.1 | 45.9% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 5 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 297 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
0
Permanent exclusions
0.00%
Exclusion rate
315
Suspensions
20.99%
Suspension rate
113 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,501 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Latest from The Farnley Academy
Houses of Parliament
20 Jul 2026
Three Major Back-to-Back International Events & Reward Trip
20 Jul 2026
Geography Trip - Hornsea
20 Jul 2026
Early Career Training programme
20 Jul 2026
Core Values
20 Jul 2026
Y11 Tutoring Programme 25-26
4 Jun 2026
From The Farnley Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with The Farnley Academy
Term dates
The Farnley Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Leeds's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Farnley Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Farnley Academy is in Leeds; for families living there:
Apply to Leeds for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025.
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
Your chances of a place at The Farnley Academy
Will you get a place at The Farnley Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Farnley Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Farnley Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Farnley Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Leeds, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Farnley Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Leeds got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
102%
Over capacity
1,495 pupils
1,463 places
32 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
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.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
263
SEN Support
17
EHC Plans
18.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,492
Total Pupils
775
Boys
717
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
96
Teachers
15.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,937
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,288
Per pupil
£11721k
Total funding
£511k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.7%
Overall absence
22.6%
Persistent absence
1,519
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
The Farnley Academy
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about The Farnley Academy
What are GCSE results like at The Farnley Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at The Farnley Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 46.7. 45% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is The Farnley Academy's Ofsted rating?
The Farnley Academy was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2019 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for The Farnley Academy?
No fixed boundary. When The Farnley Academy is oversubscribed, Leeds allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at The Farnley Academy?
The Farnley Academy was full in 2025, at 102% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at The Farnley Academy?
Classes at The Farnley Academy average 25.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Farnley Academy?
The Farnley Academy has around 1492 pupils on roll. 35% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Farnley Academy?
8.7% of sessions were missed at The Farnley Academy in 2024/25. 22.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Farnley Academy?
Apply through Leeds's coordinated admissions process, naming The Farnley Academy on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near The Farnley Academy?
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025. The typical figure for schools in Leeds is 18.5 (the median across 308 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Farnley Academy?
The Farnley Academy is at Chapel Lane, Farnley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS12 5EU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)