The Stephen Longfellow Academy, Leeds
The Stephen Longfellow Academy is an all-through school for pupils aged 5 to 16 in Leeds, part of The Gorse Academies Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Stephen Longfellow Academy in detail
Getting a place at The Stephen Longfellow Academy
Across Leeds, 83% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 95% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in Leeds lodged 683 appeals against secondary school offers; 533 reached a hearing and 102 succeeded (19.1% of those heard).
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to The Stephen Longfellow Academy are Cockburn School (0.7 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 51.2); Cockburn John Charles Academy (1.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.7); Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy (2.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 41.8); and The Morley Academy (2.2 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 55.1).
Cockburn SchoolCockburn John Charles AcademyCockburn Laurence Calvert AcademyThe Morley Academy
The trust
The Stephen Longfellow 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Cottingley Rail Station, about 910 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ring Road Millshaw, 160 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Stephen Longfellow Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to The Stephen Longfellow Academy are Hugh Gaitskell Primary School (0.4 miles); Beeston Primary School (0.4 miles); Lift Cottingley (0.5 miles); and St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, Beeston (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Hugh Gaitskell Primary SchoolBeeston Primary SchoolLift CottingleySt Anthony's Catholic Primary School, Beeston
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from October 2019, 7 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
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school truly cares for each pupil as an individual and helps them develop confidence and aspirations. Teachers work hard to understand each child's needs and provide the right support, whether through small group teaching or one-to-one help. Pupils benefit from real-world learning experiences and excellent careers support that prepares them for their future.
Key Strengths
- Highly personalised learning tailored to individual pupil needs with skilled staff support for behaviour and emotions
- Broad, ambitious curriculum with precise assessment of what pupils know and can do
- Strong focus on pupils' personal development, including enrichment activities like trips, rowing and sailing
- Exceptional careers guidance and support ensuring pupils progress to sustainable post-16 destinations
- Effective support for pupils with SEND who benefit from extra time, resources and individualised strategies
Areas for Improvement
- Teaching of phonics is sometimes ineffective, leaving some pupils struggling to become fluent readers
- Too many pupils remain persistently absent from school, causing them to miss essential learning and social experiences
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Trip to Trinidad with other trust schools, rowing, sailing, enrichment activities
The Stephen Longfellow Academy has successfully maintained its good standards as an alternative provision school that offers pupils a fresh start where they have previously encountered difficulties. The school embodies strong values of aspiration, resilience and respect with a nurturing, personalised approach to education.
At a Glance
0.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby all-through schools
Latest from The Stephen Longfellow Academy
Allergy Safety Letter
3 Sep 2026
Welcome Back - September 2026
2 Sep 2026
End of Year Letter 2026
23 Jul 2026
Swimming Lessons
17 Jul 2026
Results Day Letter - 2026
16 Jul 2026
Monday 6 July 2026
2 Jul 2026
From The Stephen Longfellow Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with The Stephen Longfellow Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near The Stephen Longfellow Academy.
- After School Haven LTD780m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Stephen Longfellow Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Stephen Longfellow 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
- 28
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 8
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 28 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 20 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
5 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
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(2)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
0
EHC Plans
-%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
0
Total Pupils
0
Boys
0
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
35
Teachers
£46,171
Mean salary
2026 data
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
The Stephen Longfellow Academy
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about The Stephen Longfellow Academy
What is The Stephen Longfellow Academy's Ofsted rating?
The Stephen Longfellow Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for The Stephen Longfellow Academy?
No fixed boundary. When The Stephen Longfellow Academy is oversubscribed, Leeds allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How do I apply to The Stephen Longfellow Academy?
Apply through Leeds's coordinated admissions process, naming The Stephen Longfellow Academy on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
Does The Stephen Longfellow Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of The Stephen Longfellow Academy: After School Haven LTD (780m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near The Stephen Longfellow Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 28 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 20 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 5 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 Stephen Longfellow Academy?
The Stephen Longfellow Academy is at Global Avenue, Phoenix House, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS11 8PG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)