Lighthouse School Leeds

Lighthouse School Leeds continues to perform well, maintaining its status as a good school. The leadership has established a clear and ambitious curriculum that focuses on empowering pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). With a strong emphasis on personal development and communication skills, the school ensures that its pupils are well-prepared for their future educational and employment opportunities. The secure relationships between staff and students further enhance the school's positive learning environment, where pupils feel supported and valued. Despite its strengths, the inspection highlighted that while the curriculum is well-structured in most subjects, some areas do not currently match the quality found in the strongest subjects. This inconsistency in curriculum development is identified as a key area for further improvement, necessitating a stronger alignment across all subjects. Overall, the school excels in creating a supportive and respectful atmosphere for learning, fostering both academic and personal growth for its students.

Strengths

• Ambitious, destination-led curriculum.
• Strong focus on developing pupils' communication skills.
• Excellent personal development programs.
• Highly secure and respectful relationships between staff and pupils.
• Effective targeted support for developing reading and speech skills.
• Well-trained staff with manageable workloads.
• Strong support for students' transitions to work and college.
• Engagement of pupils in local community and decision-making.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistency in curriculum quality across some subjects.

In 2024–25 pupils at Lighthouse School Leeds attended 82.4% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 38.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 35.3%).

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, 0.0% of pupils at Lighthouse School Leeds were suspended at least once (nationally 5.1%). 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 Lighthouse School Leeds had 5.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.5%).

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 Lighthouse School Leeds had 102 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: specific learning difficulty; moderate learning difficulty; social, emotional and mental health; speech, language and communication needs; multi-sensory impairment; autistic spectrum disorder; other difficulty or disability.

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 special school schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Lighthouse School Leeds received £35,911 and spent £32,878 for each of its 90 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £670,000 (£7,444 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.

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What is Lighthouse School Leeds's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lighthouse School Leeds is Good, from an inspection in June 2023.

When was Lighthouse School Leeds last inspected by Ofsted?

Lighthouse School Leeds was last inspected in June 2023.

How many pupils does Lighthouse School Leeds have?

Lighthouse School Leeds has 102 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lighthouse School Leeds cover?

Lighthouse School Leeds for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are Lighthouse School Leeds's GCSE results?

In 2025 its average Attainment 8 score was 10.9, and 11% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Lighthouse School Leeds?

Lighthouse School Leeds is at Arthington House, Hospital Lane, Cookridge, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS16 6QB.