Co-op Academy Priesthorpe Review 2026: Inclusive secondary in Pudsey with a changing post-16 offer

A clear theme runs through Co-op Academy Priesthorpe, belonging first, outcomes second, and the two are treated as linked rather than competing priorities. The structure behind that is unusually explicit: pupils are placed into small coaching groups designed to build relationships, develop confidence in discussing current affairs, and keep a close adult eye on day to day wellbeing.

Leadership is also in a period of transition. Louise Pratt is the Principal, with the Academy Community Council recording her appointment from 1 January 2024. This matters for families because the school’s strategic direction is paired with a significant local shift in sixth form delivery. Priesthorpe’s on-site sixth form is closing, with no further admissions from September 2025, while Pudsey Sixth Form College opened in September 2025 as the new local post-16 centre.

Academic outcomes are mixed across phases. GCSE and A-level performance sits below England averages on the available measures, but personal development stands out strongly, and the inspection evidence points to calm behaviour, strong relationships, and safeguarding that is effective.

The school positions itself as inclusive and relationship-led, and the day-to-day structures described in formal external evidence support that. Coaching groups are a defining feature, operating as small communities where pupils can form friendships, discuss wider issues, and maintain regular contact with a trusted adult. This is not a minor pastoral add-on; it is described as central to the sense of cohesion, with relationships between pupils and staff presented as a consistent strength.

Behaviour is presented as calm and orderly, with expectations applied consistently across classrooms and social times. Bullying and derogatory language are described as rare and dealt with quickly when they occur, which gives parents a useful indicator of how the school intends to keep corridors, queues, and transitions safe and predictable.

A practical detail that will matter to working families is the shape of the week. The published academy-day model has different start times across the week, with a later start on Tuesday and Thursday. From September 2025, the standard finish moved to 3:20pm each day, with optional enrichment running until 4:15pm. That makes the timetable more consistent in the afternoon, while still keeping some early starts in the week.

The physical footprint is also oriented to community use. The school markets hireable spaces including a sports hall, a lecture theatre, a drama studio, an activity studio, and an astro pitch. For pupils, this tends to translate into a site that can host larger-scale events and enrichment without relying entirely on off-site venues.

The latest Ofsted inspection (21 and 22 February 2024) graded personal development as Outstanding and rated quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and sixth form provision as Good.

GCSE outcomes

On the published measures provided, GCSE performance is currently weaker than many families will hope for in a large mainstream secondary.

Ranked 3075th in England and 3rd in Pudsey for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data)

This places the school below England average, within the bottom 40% of schools in England on this ranking measure.

The Attainment 8 score is 39.3 and Progress 8 is -0.4. A negative Progress 8 score indicates pupils, on average, make less progress than pupils with similar starting points nationally, which is an important context point for parents weighing the overall academic trajectory.

EBacc measures are also low on the available data: 8.7% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above across the EBacc, and the average EBacc APS is 3.33 compared with an England average of 4.08. For families prioritising a strongly academic EBacc pathway, this is a key indicator to explore further, particularly around uptake, option choices, and how the school encourages a broad academic curriculum in Key Stage 4.

A-level outcomes

A-level performance is also below England averages on the figures available. The proportion of grades at A* is 2.04%, at A is 8.16%, and at B is 22.45%. Overall, 32.65% of grades were A* to B. The England averages provided for context are 23.6% for A* to A and 47.2% for A* to B.

Ranked 2067th in England and 1st in Pudsey for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data)

This places the sixth form performance below England average, within the bottom 40% of schools in England on this ranking measure.

A crucial practical overlay is the changing post-16 model. The school has confirmed that no further sixth form students will be admitted from September 2025, with current Year 12 and Year 13 students completing their courses. For families with children in Year 7 now, the realistic expectation is that post-16 education will be pursued elsewhere locally, with Pudsey Sixth Form College becoming the central destination for many.

Curriculum design is described as intentional and increasingly connected across subjects. One of the most useful inspection-level details is how cross-curricular links are built, such as health-related learning in Year 7 science being explicitly connected to personal, social and health education, then revisited and extended later. For parents, this signals a curriculum that is trying to build knowledge cumulatively rather than treating topics as isolated units.

Reading support is another practical lever. The school is described as quickly identifying pupils who need help with reading and putting targeted interventions in place to build phonics, fluency, and comprehension. This matters most in a secondary context because weak reading is often the hidden barrier across humanities, science, and vocational courses alike.

At Key Stage 4, the subject menu appears broad and applied, with pathways that go beyond the purely academic, including areas such as engineering design, construction and the built environment, hospitality and catering, media, sociology, and health and social care, alongside core subjects. The implication is a school that aims to keep multiple doors open for pupils with different strengths, which can be a strong fit for families who want credible technical and vocational options without moving to a specialist provider at 14.

Post-16 is currently the most important “next step” topic for this school, because it is in active transition.

For students already in the sixth form, the inspection evidence describes targeted advice and guidance designed to prepare them for their intended next steps. In the 2023/24 leavers cohort (63 students), 67% progressed to university, with 5% to further education, 5% to apprenticeships, and 13% into employment. This gives a broadly university-led destination profile, with a meaningful minority choosing work-based routes.

Oxbridge entry is not a defining pipeline here, but there is evidence of aspiration. In the measured period, two students applied to Oxford or Cambridge, one received an offer, and one secured a place at Cambridge. This is not about volume; it is about demonstrating that high-end academic progression is possible for individual students with the right profile and support.

Looking forward, the school’s on-site sixth form is closing, with no further admissions from September 2025, while Pudsey Sixth Form College welcomed its first students in September 2025. For parents of younger pupils, that changes planning in a practical way: a “through to 18” journey is no longer the default, so it is sensible to treat Year 11 as a key decision point and to begin post-16 exploration early.

Year 7 admissions are coordinated through the local authority and follow Leeds’ published coordinated timeline. The school states a Year 7 application deadline of 31 October. For September 2026 entry in Leeds, applications open on 1 September 2025, the national deadline is 31 October 2025, and national offer day is Monday 2 March 2026.

The published planned admission number is 225 students in Year 7. Demand indicators point to competition for places: in the latest available admissions snapshot, there were 471 applications and 204 offers recorded, with the entry route described as oversubscribed and a subscription proportion of 2.31 applications per place. This is a useful signal that families should treat this as a school where distance and oversubscription criteria can matter.

The admissions information also sets out that, where the school is oversubscribed, allocation follows Leeds Local Authority oversubscription criteria with distance used as a tie-break. The school references a defined catchment area as used by Leeds, with sibling priority and other standard criteria sitting ahead of distance.

Post-16 admissions require particular care. The school has confirmed that no further sixth form students will be admitted from September 2025, with existing Year 12 and Year 13 completing their courses. Families should plan on applying elsewhere for Year 12, most obviously to Pudsey Sixth Form College or other local providers.

Parents considering admission should use the FindMySchoolMap Search to check their likely catchment position and understand how location tends to influence outcomes in the Leeds coordinated system.

Pastoral structures are unusually prominent in the school’s published narrative and in external evidence. Coaching groups, pastoral managers, and mentor systems are described as part of a deliberate approach to helping pupils feel known and supported, including for pupils who need additional encouragement to stay focused or attend regularly. The mentoring approach, where pupils with improving attendance support peers, is a concrete example of leadership development being tied to practical school priorities.

Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The safeguarding team is clearly structured, including a designated safeguarding lead and deputy roles, and the school also identifies an emotional wellbeing support officer within that broader safeguarding structure. For families, this does not remove the need to ask detailed questions on a visit, but it does indicate a formal system rather than ad hoc pastoral coverage.

Support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities is described as effective, with teachers receiving clear information about needs and using it to adapt classroom practice and access to wider activities. That matters because inclusion is only meaningful if it spans lessons, trips, and enrichment, not just intervention slots.

Personal development is the headline strength, and the detail behind it goes beyond generic “clubs and trips”. The inspection narrative references a wide range of clubs and opportunities, from small groups such as computer coding through to national competitions and cultural experiences such as high-quality art installations. For pupils who need a reason to belong, not just a timetable to follow, this breadth can be the difference between attendance as a struggle and attendance as habit.

The school’s own enrichment overview points to a rotating menu across the year, including rock band, boxing, photography, and cookery. Those examples are useful because they signal variety in both physical and creative domains, and they suggest opportunities for pupils who are not naturally drawn to traditional team sports.

Sport appears to be well-established, with a curriculum and competitive offer that includes football, rugby, netball, cross-country, and athletics, alongside clubs such as dance, badminton, fitness, cricket, table tennis, and basketball. The implication is a programme that can suit both “sport for participation” pupils and those who want a routine of training and fixtures.

Facilities also matter here because the school is set up to host activity at scale. A sports hall, astro pitch, and specialist spaces such as a drama studio and lecture theatre support the sort of enrichment timetable that is hard to sustain if a site lacks capacity.

Parents comparing local options can use the FindMySchool Local Hub comparison tools to view GCSE and A-level measures side by side across nearby secondaries and sixth form providers, particularly important now that post-16 is shifting locally.

The published academy day runs with different start times across the week and a standard finish at 3:20pm, with optional enrichment extending to 4:15pm. Term dates are published well ahead, which is helpful for planning childcare and travel.

Travel and site access are managed actively. The school has published reminders that vehicle access to the car park is restricted during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up unless a site access pass is issued, which suggests the school expects congestion and is trying to prioritise safety. Families who drive should treat drop-off routines and safe parking expectations as part of the practical fit, not an afterthought.

• Academic outcomes are currently below England averages on key measures. The Progress 8 score of -0.4 and the overall ranking position indicate that pupils, on average, make less progress than similar pupils nationally. This may suit families who prioritise inclusion and pastoral structure, but those seeking consistently high academic outcomes should probe subject-level support, setting, and intervention in detail.

• Post-16 planning is changing. No further sixth form admissions are planned from September 2025, so families need to plan early for Year 12 options and be comfortable with a move to a local sixth form college or another provider.

• The timetable is not uniform across the week. Later starts on Tuesday and Thursday can help some students, but it complicates transport and morning routines for others.

• Demand is strong. With a published Year 7 intake number and evidence of oversubscription, families should take the admissions criteria seriously and avoid assuming availability without checking how places are allocated.

Co-op Academy Priesthorpe is best understood as a relationship-led secondary with a strong personal development model and a clear focus on inclusion, safety, and belonging. It suits families who want structured pastoral systems, a broad enrichment offer, and a school that invests heavily in community-building as a route to better engagement. Academic outcomes are currently the main limitation, and the post-16 closure means parents should plan early for sixth form alternatives. Entry remains the obstacle for many local families, particularly in years of high demand.