The Morley Academy, Leeds
The Morley 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 May 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in September 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 7th-highest of the 37 schools in Leeds with published results, and 482nd of 3,298 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.4 first-choice applications for every place. It was 88% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2013)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
- 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 Morley Academy in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at The Morley Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 55.1, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.7 in Leeds and 47 across England.
62% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 48% in Leeds and 47% in England.
That is in line with 2025, when the score was 54.6.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.56: 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 39.4, against 59.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 19.8 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 24 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Business Studies.
Getting a place at The Morley Academy
For September 2026 entry, 369 families put The Morley Academy as their first choice and 869 named it as one of their preferences, for 270 places offered. That is 1.4 first choices for every place. 105 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to The Morley Academy are Bruntcliffe Academy (0.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47.8); Woodkirk Academy (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 52.3); Batley Girls' High School (1.7 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 45.2); and Upper Batley High School (1.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.4).
The Morley Academy's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Bruntcliffe AcademyWoodkirk AcademyBatley Girls' High SchoolUpper Batley High School
The trust
The Morley 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
163 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Morley Academy (as of September 2025): 90% would recommend the school, 93% say their child is happy there and 91% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that pupils behave well (94%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (83%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 291 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 91% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 40% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.
Who goes there
In 2026, 237 pupils (16.8%) received SEN support and 40 (2.8%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Morley Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Fountain Street Morley Academy, 10 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Morley Academy issued 169 suspensions, 11.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to The Morley Academy are Fountain Primary School (0.3 miles); St Francis Catholic Primary School, Morley (0.3 miles); Morley Victoria Primary School (0.6 miles); and Seven Hills Primary School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Fountain Primary SchoolSt Francis Catholic Primary School, MorleyMorley Victoria Primary SchoolSeven Hills 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from May 2013, 13 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils attending The Morley Academy benefit from an outstanding quality of education. The school's motto of 'exceptional, every day' is lived and breathed by everyone in the community.
The school's broad, challenging curriculum is taught by expert teachers. Pupils' attitudes towards their learning are excellent. Pupils achieve especially well across all subjects. Pupils' performance in external tests and assessments is impressive.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Leaders are exceptionally ambitious. The school's curriculum is rich and challenging. Almost all pupils in key stage 4 study a modern foreign language. The proportion of pupils in key stage 4 studying the English Baccalaureate suite of challenging subjects is well above the national average. The ambition seen in the curriculum extends to all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
Subject leaders have crafted interesting and well-sequenced schemes of learning. This curriculum is then brought alive by highly trained teachers. Lessons are rich in vocabulary and full of opportunities designed to help pupils recall and retain existing and new learning. Assessment and questioning are carefully used in all lessons to help monitor pupils' learning and address any misconceptions.
From Ofsted's September 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its May 2013 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Leadership & management.
About
The Morley Academy is a mixed secondary school located in Morley, West Yorkshire, England.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
21.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
163 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 0.83 to 0.56 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 58.2 to 55.1 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 62% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 55.1 | 62.2% |
| Disadvantaged(58) | - | 39.4 | 32.8% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(220) | - | 59.2 | 70% |
| Boys(150) | - | 55.4 | 66.7% |
| Girls(128) | - | 54.7 | 57% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(29) | - | 64.5 | 72.4% |
| Non mobile(274) | - | 55.6 | 63.1% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 4 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 291 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
0
Permanent exclusions
0.00%
Exclusion rate
169
Suspensions
11.88%
Suspension rate
88 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,422 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with The Morley Academy
Term dates
The Morley 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 Morley Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Morley 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)
- Collisions
- 23
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 23 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 18 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
8 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
Your chances of a place at The Morley Academy
Will you get a place at The Morley Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Morley Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Morley Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Morley 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 Morley 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
88%
Available places
1,415 pupils
1,615 places
200 spare places 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(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
237
SEN Support
40
EHC Plans
19.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,410
Total Pupils
731
Boys
679
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
89
Teachers
15.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£43,069
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,810
Per pupil
£10200k
Total funding
£318k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.1%
Overall absence
18.6%
Persistent absence
1,422
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 Morley Academy
Showing 10 of 11 linked schools
Questions parents ask about The Morley Academy
What are GCSE results like at The Morley Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at The Morley Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 55.1. 62% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is The Morley Academy's Ofsted rating?
The Morley Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in September 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2013, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for The Morley Academy?
No fixed boundary. When The Morley 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 Morley Academy?
The Morley Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 88% of its 1615 places.
How big are the classes at The Morley Academy?
Classes at The Morley Academy average 24.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Morley Academy?
The Morley Academy has around 1410 pupils on roll. 21% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Morley Academy?
7.1% of sessions were missed at The Morley Academy in 2024/25. 18.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Morley Academy?
Apply through Leeds's coordinated admissions process, naming The Morley 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 Morley Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 23 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 18 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 8 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 The Morley Academy?
The Morley Academy is at Fountain Street, Morley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS27 0PD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)