John Smeaton Academy

John Smeaton Academy, which recently underwent its first Ofsted inspection since joining The Gorse Academies Trust, has been found to be performing well across various domains, with an overall effectiveness rated as good. Significant improvements have been made since the school's previous inspection, which noted inadequate performance. The school fosters a positive environment that encourages both academic achievement and personal development among its students, and it shows a strong commitment to inclusivity, particularly for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The leadership team is dedicated to raising aspirations and providing pupils with meaningful opportunities for enrichment and community engagement.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate good behavior and warm relationships with each other and staff.
• The curriculum is well-structured and effectively delivers key subject knowledge.
• Strong support is offered for pupils with SEND, ensuring they access the curriculum.
• A positive discipline approach contributes to a calm learning environment.
• Numerous enrichment activities are well attended, fostering community spirit.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils struggle with attendance, impacting their learning opportunities.

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 John Smeaton Academy attended 88.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 32.0% 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, 15.7% of pupils at John Smeaton 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 John Smeaton Academy had 17.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 32.5% 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, 13.3% of pupils at John Smeaton Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 7.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 33 pupils.

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 John Smeaton Academy received £11,027 and spent £12,594 for each of its 611 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £297,000 (-£486 per pupil).

Across all 14 schools of The Gorse Academies Trust, income was £7,876 and spending £7,672 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 Leeds · Leeds local authority: places and applications

John Smeaton Academy is part of The Gorse Academies Trust, which runs 14 schools. The nearest others:

• Hillcrest Academy Leeds
• Richmond Hill Academy Leeds
• Little London Academy Leeds
• The Ruth Gorse Academy Leeds
• Leeds Mathematics School Leeds
• Bardsey Primary Academy Leeds
• Boston Spa Academy Wetherby
• Elliott Hudson College Leeds
• Morley Newlands Academy Leeds
• Ryecroft Academy Leeds

What is John Smeaton Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for John Smeaton Academy is Good, from an inspection in June 2024.

When was John Smeaton Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

John Smeaton Academy was last inspected in June 2024.

How many pupils does John Smeaton Academy have?

John Smeaton Academy has 677 pupils on roll.

What age range does John Smeaton Academy cover?

John Smeaton Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are John Smeaton Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 36.9, and 28% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is John Smeaton Academy?

John Smeaton Academy is at Barwick Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS15 8TA.