Crawshaw Academy

Crawshaw Academy is a mixed secondary academy in the Red Kite Learning Trust. Following its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, it is judged to require improvement in the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management, while personal development is good and safeguarding is effective. The previous inspection grade was good, and the interim principal had taken up post just before the inspection; the sixth form is currently suspended. Leaders and the trust have correctly identified the main issues and are taking action. Some lessons show a well-planned, ambitious curriculum, and pupils benefit from strong personal development, reading support, extra-curricular sport and performance, careers work, and a specialist Pathways provision for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. However, pupils do not achieve well enough overall because curriculum implementation is inconsistent, some teaching moves on before knowledge is secure, and support for pupils with SEND in mainstream classes is not consistently tailored. Behaviour expectations are high but not consistently realised: low-level disruption and boisterous behaviour at social times can undermine a calm culture. Leadership systems are improving but inconsistencies remain and affect the pace of improvement. Staff well-being and training are valued.

Strengths

• Personal development is good, including 'curriculum for life' and respectful citizenship.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• The specialist Pathways provision helps pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs to thrive.
• Reading interventions from well-trained staff improve pupils' literacy and confidence.
• Pupils access high-quality sporting and performance activities and a range of extra-curricular opportunities.
• Careers provision prepares older pupils well for their next steps.
• Staff take pride in working at the school and value support for their well-being and training.
• Student leadership team members are eloquent ambassadors and a valued voice.
• Leaders and the trust have correctly identified improvement priorities and are taking action.

Areas for Improvement

• The quality of education varies across and within subjects, and pupils do not achieve well enough overall.
• Curriculum implementation is inconsistent; teachers sometimes move pupils on too quickly, leaving knowledge gaps.
• Support for pupils with SEND in mainstream classrooms sometimes lacks clear, tailored targets and strategies.
• Behaviour is not consistently well managed; low-level disruption and boisterous behaviour can undermine calm.
• Leadership and management inconsistencies remain in some areas and slow the pace of improvement.
• The school and trust need to ensure all staff have training and support to implement the curriculum and meet SEND needs.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Crawshaw Academy attended 90.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 24.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 14.5% of pupils at Crawshaw Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Crawshaw Academy had 16.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 17.6% of pupils at Crawshaw Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Crawshaw Academy received £7,878 and spent £7,824 for each of its 1,110 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £238,000 (-£214 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of Red Kite Learning Trust, income was £8,002 and spending £7,952 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Pudsey · Leeds local authority: places and applications

Crawshaw Academy is part of Red Kite Learning Trust, which runs 16 schools. The nearest others:

• Meadowfield Primary School Leeds
• Temple Learning Academy Leeds
• Templenewsam Halton Primary School Leeds
• Temple Moor High School Leeds
• Whitkirk Primary School Leeds
• Colton Primary School Leeds
• Austhorpe Primary School Leeds
• Rossett School Harrogate
• Rossett Acre Primary School Harrogate
• Oatlands Community Junior School Harrogate

What is Crawshaw Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Crawshaw Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Crawshaw Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Crawshaw Academy was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Crawshaw Academy have?

Crawshaw Academy has 1,052 pupils on roll.

What age range does Crawshaw Academy cover?

Crawshaw Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Crawshaw Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 45.6, and 51% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Crawshaw Academy?

Crawshaw Academy is at Robin Lane, Pudsey, West Yorkshire, LS28 9HU.