The Ruth Gorse Academy
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The Ruth Gorse Academy is a free school in Leeds for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 1,265 pupils, 5 more than it has places for. About 54 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 93 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 100% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2023.
Black Bull Street, Leeds, LS10 1HW0113 253 1600ruthgorse.leeds.sch.ukMiss Saba Mir headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
A shorter visit on 26 October 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Outstanding overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
255 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | Leeds | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 255 | 255 | 258 | 252 | 86 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 49.1 | 50.4 | 48.8 | 48.8 | 49.7 | 45.8 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | +0.99 | +0.92 | +0.61 | +0.46 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 53% | 50% | 47% | 45% | 40% | 46% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 75% | 73% | 69% | 63% | 62% | 65% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 4.70 | 4.81 | 4.40 | 4.26 | 4.28 | 4.12 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 85% | 81% | 54% | 38% | 30% | 50% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 44.5 | 44.1 | 43.9 | 40.7 | 48.0 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 54.7 | 56.5 | 53.8 | 56.2 | 52.6 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 37.8 | 36.4 | 36.5 | 38.6 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 74.5 | 67.4 | 75.8 | 62.9 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 18 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Strongest subjects
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Drama (52% here, 60% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 256 | 23% | 57% | 78% | 53% | 1,102 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 253 | 15% | 55% | 72% | 54% | 1,342 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 240 | 16% | 67% | 84% | 58% | 793 of 3,202 |
| Combined Science | 196 | 6% | 41% | 62% | 36% | 1,017 of 3,084 |
| French | 167 | 19% | 58% | 71% | 60% | 1,148 of 1,974 |
| Geography | 150 | 23% | 56% | 71% | 51% | 1,019 of 3,116 |
| Business | 93 | 26% | 52% | 63% | 51% | 780 of 1,806 |
| History | 90 | 33% | 62% | 69% | 52% | 825 of 3,126 |
| Computer Science | 73 | 19% | 51% | 63% | 56% | 1,025 of 1,861 |
| Biology | 54 | 57% | 96% | 96% | 82% | 651 of 2,570 |
| Chemistry | 52 | 65% | 100% | 100% | 81% | 273 of 2,537 |
| Physics | 52 | 52% | 96% | 100% | 82% | 695 of 2,546 |
| Social Studies | 51 | 14% | 67% | 80% | 54% | 277 of 1,043 |
| Other Modern Languages | 50 | 44% | 76% | 86% | 49% | 130 of 454 |
| Art and Design | 45 | 29% | 67% | 89% | 58% | 1,017 of 2,818 |
| Religious Studies | 39 | 46% | 87% | 90% | 60% | 171 of 1,825 |
| Drama | 25 | 0% | 52% | 80% | 60% | 584 of 844 |
| Spanish | 22 | 50% | 68% | 82% | 54% | 518 of 1,941 |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 2 of the 3 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
The school is full, with 14 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.
How places were given out for September 2026.
What parents say
From Ofsted's Parent View survey: 10 parents answered in the year to 6 April 2026. Parents choose whether to fill it in, and many only do so when an inspection is coming, so don't read too much into small differences. The England figures are the average for secondary schools with enough answers to publish.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (84), emotional and mental health (66), language and communications needs (50), Autistic spectrum disorder (14), Specific learning difficulty (10), Hearing impairment (7).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 1,265 | 1,275 | 1,274 | 1,301 | 1,269 | 1,266 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 54% | 51% | 47% | 46% | 43% | 40% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 43% | 50% | 54% | 58% | 49% | 45% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 18% | 17% | 15% | 15% | 14% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 6.7% | 6.9% | 9.2% | 6.9% | 5.4% | 6.4% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 3.6% | 3.1% | 2.8% | 3.1% | 3.0% | 2.9% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 3.1% | 3.8% | 6.4% | 3.8% | 2.5% | 3.6% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 17.2% | 19.7% | 24.0% | 19.8% | 12.8% | 16.9% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 14.0 | 18.8 | 16.5 | 23.1 | 12.3 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 258 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 83%, compared with 90% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 86% | 87% | 88% | 89% |
| Education | 84% | 82% | 84% | 87% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 3% | 2% | 1% |
| Work | 2% | 2% | 2% | 1% |
| Not in education, work or training | 8% | 6% | 8% | 9% |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Technical College Leeds | University technical college | 310 m | 546 | Good 2023 | 63 | Compare |
| Mount St Mary's Catholic High School | Roman Catholic | 640 m | 943 | No overall grade 2025 | 89 | Compare |
| Adel Beck | Secure units | 0.9 miles | – | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Co-op Academy Leeds | Academy | 1.0 miles | 974 | Good 2022 | 9 | Compare |
| Trinity Academy Leeds | Free school | 1.1 miles | 1,182 | Outstanding 2024 | 94 | Compare |
| Dixons Trinity Chapeltown | Free school | 1.5 miles | 960 | Outstanding 2021 | 73 | Compare |
| Cockburn John Charles Academy | Academy | 1.8 miles | 1,169 | Report card 2026 | 68 | Compare |
| Leeds City Academy | Academy | 2.1 miles | 1,009 | Not inspected | 44 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares The Ruth Gorse Academy with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
No school with a similar mix of pupils within 25 km scores clearly higher.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 93 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 93% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 90 to 96. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | in line | +0.03 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 255 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | well above | +0.32 | Ofsted grade, 2.9 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | well above | +0.31 | DfE progress measure; 255 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | well above | +0.13 | results and attendance rising year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | above | +0.06 | 2024/25; 1,299 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | well above | +0.28 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 255 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | well below | -0.05 | 258 pupils |
| What parents say | 5% | above | +0.04 | Ofsted's Parent View survey, allowing for how many parents replied; 10 responses |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is The Ruth Gorse Academy a good school?
Yes, going by the figures. The Ruth Gorse Academy scores 93 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 100% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 90 to 96, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is The Ruth Gorse Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated The Ruth Gorse Academy outstanding at its last full inspection on 26 October 2023.
How good are The Ruth Gorse Academy's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 53% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 49.1, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished most of a grade ahead of children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does The Ruth Gorse Academy have?
1,265 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,260 places, so it is 100% full.
Is The Ruth Gorse Academy oversubscribed?
Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 14 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.
What is attendance like at The Ruth Gorse Academy?
Pupils were in school 93.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 17% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
What do parents say about The Ruth Gorse Academy?
100% of the 10 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey would recommend it to other parents, and 100% say their child is happy there. Across England, 77% of parents would recommend their child's school.
How big are the classes at The Ruth Gorse Academy?
The average class had 20.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. No class had more than 30 pupils.
Does The Ruth Gorse Academy have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 86% of 2022/23 leavers were still in education, work or training six months on.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Black Bull Street, Leeds, LS10 1HW
- Telephone
- 0113 253 1600
- Website
- ruthgorse.leeds.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Miss Saba Mir
- Type of school
- Free school (Free schools, free schools)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- The GORSE Academies Trust (15 schools)
- Local authority
- Leeds
- Ward
- Hunslet & Riverside
- Constituency
- Leeds South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2014 (new provision)
- URN
- 140565 · LAESTAB 3834067 · UKPRN 10047074
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Leeds council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.