Horsforth School
Lee Lane East, Horsforth, Leeds, LS18 5RF
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- HORSFORTH SCHOOL
- Headteacher
- Dr Paul Bell
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Constituency
- Leeds North West
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,865
- Pupils on roll
- 1,837
- URN
- 137775
- Local authority
- Leeds
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01132265454
About this school
Horsforth School is a secondary academy in Leeds. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,837 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Horsforth School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 25 October 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 222 | 225 | 251 |
| Attainment 8 score | 57.6 | 55.8 | 57.3 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.74 +0.56 to +0.93 | +0.40 +0.21 to +0.58 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 64% | 64% | 62.2% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 82% | 86.2% | 82.9% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 63% | 80.9% | 87.3% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.5 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Horsforth School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Leeds average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 57.6 | 39.4 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 55.8 | 39.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 57.3 | 39.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,563 |
| 2023/24 | 1,654 |
| 2024/25 | 1,773 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Horsforth School compares
Horsforth School ranked 2nd of 42 secondary schools in Leeds for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 90% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 57.3 | 5.1% | 15.9% | 1,837 | — |
| Abbey Grange Church of England Academy | 55.9 | 5.1% | 23% | 1,576 | 1.4 miles |
| Ralph Thoresby School | 39.7 | 11.5% | 33.9% | 987 | 1.7 miles |
| Lawnswood School | 42.3 | 11.5% | 44.2% | 1,307 | 1.9 miles |
| Benton Park School | — | — | — | 1,516 | 2.0 miles |
| Leeds West Academy | 41.7 | 13.1% | 41.8% | 1,432 | 2.0 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 15.92%
- English as an additional language
- 10.4%
- Overall absence
- 5.05%
- Persistent absence
- 10.56%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Abbey Grange Church of England Academy1.4 miles
Secondary · Leeds
-
Ralph Thoresby School1.7 miles
Secondary · Leeds
-
Lawnswood School1.9 miles
Secondary · Leeds
-
Benton Park School2.0 miles
Secondary · Leeds
-
Leeds West Academy2.0 miles
Secondary · Leeds
Other schools in Leeds
Horsforth School ranks 2nd of the 33 ranked secondary schools in Leeds.
- Abbey Grange Church of England Academy Secondary
- Allerton Grange School Secondary
- Allerton High School Secondary
- Benton Park School Secondary
- Bishop Young Church of England Academy Secondary
- Bruntcliffe Academy Secondary
- Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School Secondary
- Co-op Academy Leeds Secondary
- Cockburn John Charles Academy Secondary
- Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy Secondary
- Cockburn School Secondary
- Corpus Christi Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Horsforth School teach?
- Horsforth School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Leeds.
- Who is the headteacher of Horsforth School?
- The headteacher of Horsforth School is Dr Paul Bell, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Horsforth School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Horsforth School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Horsforth School?
- Horsforth School has 1,837 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Horsforth School full?
- Horsforth School has capacity for 1,865 pupils and 1,837 on roll (98%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Horsforth School a faith school?
- No. Horsforth School has no designated religious character.
- Is Horsforth School a selective school?
- No. Horsforth School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Horsforth School part of an academy trust?
- Horsforth School is part of HORSFORTH SCHOOL. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Horsforth School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 57.6 in 2022/23 and 57.3 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Horsforth School compare with other schools in Leeds?
- Horsforth School ranked 2nd of 42 secondary schools in Leeds for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 90% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Horsforth School's absence rate?
- Horsforth School's overall absence rate is 5.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Horsforth School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Horsforth School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.