Co-op Academy Brierley

Co-op Academy Brierley is a rapidly growing school within The Co-operative Academies Trust, and this was its first inspection since opening in September 2023. All pupils have an education, health and care plan, and safeguarding standards are met. Inspectors found strong practice in attendance and behaviour, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Achievement, curriculum and teaching, and early years meet the expected standard. The school's inclusive culture is a major strength. Pupils' needs are identified quickly and accurately, support is highly personalised, and the environment has been adapted well for sensory and physical needs. Pupils feel safe, attend regularly and behave calmly because routines are consistent and relationships are positive. Personal development is a defining feature, with wide enrichment opportunities, community-based experiences and strong pastoral and family support. Leaders manage rapid growth well, staff are well trained and supported, and governance provides robust challenge and support. The main areas for improvement relate to curriculum consistency. In some lessons, teaching is not precisely matched to pupils' abilities, staff do not consistently prioritise the most important knowledge, and gaps in pupils' knowledge are not always addressed promptly. As a result, some pupils do not make the progress they could. Leaders have accurate oversight of this and have already identified the next steps needed to secure consistently high-quality curriculum delivery across all subjects and pathways.

Strengths

• Highly inclusive culture with pupils' needs identified quickly and accurately
• Personalised support matched to pupils' health, behavioural, sensory and physical needs
• Strong attendance culture with prompt follow-up and improving attendance over time
• Calm, consistent behaviour routines and positive staff-pupil relationships
• Personal development is a defining feature, with wide enrichment and community-based experiences
• Pastoral care and family support are significant strengths
• Leadership manages rapid growth well with a clear vision and robust governance
• Staff benefit from meticulous professional learning and strong wellbeing support
• Pupils feel safe, happy, welcome and ready to learn
• Early years provides a positive start with a strong focus on communication, language and phonics
• Safeguarding standards are met
• Robust assessment systems identify barriers to progress and trigger support

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching is not consistently matched precisely to pupils' abilities in some lessons
• Staff do not consistently prioritise the most important knowledge that pupils need to learn
• Gaps in some pupils' knowledge are not addressed promptly and consistently
• Some pupils do not make the progress they could because prior knowledge is not embedded securely
• Curriculum quality is not yet consistently high across all subjects and pathways

In 2024–25 pupils at Co-op Academy Brierley attended 89.0% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 31.8% 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, 1.4% of pupils at Co-op Academy Brierley 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 Co-op Academy Brierley had 8.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.2% 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 Co-op Academy Brierley had 248 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; severe learning difficulty; profound and multiple learning difficulty; social, emotional and mental health; speech, language and communication needs; hearing impairment; vision impairment; multi-sensory impairment; physical disability; 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 Co-op Academy Brierley received £28,688 and spent £28,321 for each of its 144 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £32,000 (£224 per pupil).

Across all 40 schools of The Co-Operative Academies Trust, income was £9,737 and spending £9,467 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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All schools in Leeds · Leeds local authority: places and applications

Co-op Academy Brierley is part of The Co-Operative Academies Trust, which runs 40 schools. The nearest others:

• Co-op Academy Brownhill Leeds
• Co-op Academy Leeds Leeds
• Co-op Academy Nightingale Leeds
• Co-op Academy Woodlands Leeds
• Co-op Academy Oakwood Leeds
• Co-op Academy Priesthorpe Pudsey
• Co-op Academy Beckfield Bradford
• Co-op Academy Smithies Moor Heckmondwike
• Co-op Academy Delius Bradford
• Co-op Academy Penny Oaks Bradford

What is Co-op Academy Brierley's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Co-op Academy Brierley is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Co-op Academy Brierley last inspected by Ofsted?

Co-op Academy Brierley was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Co-op Academy Brierley have?

Co-op Academy Brierley has 248 pupils on roll.

What age range does Co-op Academy Brierley cover?

Co-op Academy Brierley for pupils aged 4 to 16.

What are Co-op Academy Brierley's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 0% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Co-op Academy Brierley?

Co-op Academy Brierley is at Cross Green Lane, Leeds, LS9 0BA.