Five Lanes Primary School

About Five Lanes Primary School

Five Lanes Primary School in Leeds is a state primary for children aged 3 to 11 that is currently running well above its official capacity. With 469 pupils on roll against a capacity of 420, the school is clearly a popular choice in the area. That demand is reflected in the admissions data for the 2025/26 intake: the school received 182 applications for just 60 places, an oversubscription ratio of 3.03, and only 57 of those 69 first-preference families were offered a spot. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 20.3%, which is notably higher than the national primary average of around 23% and suggests the school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage. The school has a nursery provision and is non-denominational, with no religious character attached. Joanna Mercer is the headteacher.

Academically, Five Lanes performs around the middle of the pack for Leeds primaries. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 57% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is slightly below the local authority average of 61%. That places the school 129th out of 204 primaries in Leeds, putting it in the bottom half of the league table. On individual subjects, reading and writing fared better than maths: 70% met the expected standard in reading and 72% in writing, compared with 67% in maths. At the higher standard, just 3% of pupils achieved the top level across all three subjects. Average scores were 104 in reading and 102 in maths, both close to the national average of 100. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in May 2023, confirmed it remains Good, a rating it has held since at least 2014.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a gymnasium, playing fields, a forest school, an ICT suite and a dining hall. Sports provision covers netball, cricket, swimming and tennis, while extracurricular clubs include choir, gardening, drama and coding. For families with children who have additional needs, the SEND register is broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, autism, hearing and visual impairments, and physical disabilities. The school is oversubscribed, so families living closest to the site will have the strongest chance of securing a place. For those considering alternatives, the nearest Outstanding-rated primary is Ryecroft Academy, about two kilometres away. Five Lanes suits families who want a large, inclusive community primary with a strong pastoral offer and a realistic, non-selective academic profile.

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