Co-op Academy Priesthorpe

About Co-op Academy Priesthorpe

Co-op Academy Priesthorpe is a mixed, non-faith secondary school in Leeds for pupils aged 11 to 16, currently home to 1,055 students against a capacity of 1,140. That leaves a little headroom, but the demand is clear: for the 2025/26 academic year, the school received 471 applications for 204 places, an oversubscription ratio of 2.31. Of those, 143 were first-preference applications, and 139 first-preference offers were made, suggesting that while the school is popular, not every family who wants a place gets one. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 35.1%, well above the national average for secondary schools, which typically sits around 23-25%. This indicates the school serves a community with higher-than-average levels of economic disadvantage. The headteacher is Louise Pratt, and the school operates under the Co-op Academies Trust.

Academically, the school’s most recent Progress 8 score is -0.4, placing it in the 'Below average' band nationally. That is a significant gap compared with the Leeds local authority average Progress 8 score of 0.07, meaning pupils here make less progress than their peers across the city. The Attainment 8 score is 39.3, and the basics measure (grade 4 or above in English and maths) sits at 52.4%, with the more demanding grade 5+ threshold at 37.4%. Only 23.8% of pupils entered the EBacc suite of subjects, and 13.1% achieved it at grade 4 or above. In the Leeds local authority ranking by Progress 8, Priesthorpe sits 34th out of 42 schools, placing it in the bottom quarter. However, the school’s Ofsted inspection in February 2024 rated it Good overall, a notable improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2020. Personal development was judged Outstanding, and behaviour and attitudes, leadership, and quality of education all received Good.

The school offers a wide range of facilities, including a theatre, astro turf, tennis courts, playing fields, science labs, and a gymnasium, plus a chapel on site. Sports provision covers cricket, rugby, athletics, basketball, dance, rounders, hockey, and cross country, while clubs include book club, art club, choir, science club, chess, debate, young enterprise, and drama. SEND support is broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate to severe learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. There is no sixth form or nursery provision, and the school is not a boarding option. This is a school that has seen strong demand locally, serves a disadvantaged intake, and has made clear progress in its Ofsted rating, but its academic outcomes remain below the Leeds average, which families will want to weigh against the strong personal development and behaviour noted by inspectors.

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