Thousands of pupils in Leeds are being taught at schools run by one of the best academies trust in the country.
That's according to new figures released by the Department for Education, which ranked GORSE Academies Trust schools as the fifth-best in the country for key stage four pupil performance.
The government department produced a league by using a detailed, statistical measure called Progress 8.
To produce a Progress 8 score, it looks at pupils' results in eight GCSE, or equivalent, subjects.
According to the figures, primary school children at GORSE Academies Trust schools are also performing "well above average".
After looking at the percentage of pupils who are meeting the expected standard of reading, writing and maths, GORSE schools were ranked as the best trust in the country for reading, second-best for maths and third for writing.
Ruth Gorse Academies in Leeds
- Boston Spa Academy
- Bruntcliffe Academy (Morley)
- Elliott Hudson College (Beeston)
- Hillcrest Academy (Chapeltown)
- Morley Newlands Academy
- Richmond Hill Academy
- Ryecroft Academy (Farnley)
- The Farnley Academy
- The Morley Academy
- The Ruth Gorse Academy (City Centre)
- The Stephen Longfellow Academy (Cottingley)
Schools minister Lord Agnew said: “These results are truly impressive and demonstrate what can be achieved through the hard work of pupils, teachers and leaders.
"GORSE is a trust that is demonstrating its worth, including by driving up entry to the EBacc – which is key to opening opportunities for young people and raising standards in our schools – and recording impressive results year after year.”
In 2019, the academies trust, which runs 11 schools in Leeds, was accused of off rolling struggling pupils from The Farnley Academy to The Stephen Longfellow Academy to boost exam results.
Sir John Townsley, chief executive of the academies trust, denied the allegation but Ofsted inspected both schools and found that school leaders "could not convincingly explain why it was in each pupil’s best interests to move to the roll of the alternative provision, particularly during Year 11".
Sir John Townsley, chief executive of GORSE Academies Trust, said: "We are delighted with these results across primary, secondary and post-16 stages.
"Helping children and young people achieve their very best is what we are all about, so that they can go on and succeed in the next stage of their lives.
"That means doing well in primary tests, in academic subjects at GCSEs and then in A levels.
"Our students are winning places at the best universities across the country – Oxford, LSE, Warwick, Cambridge and of course the Trust’s key strategic partner, the University of Leeds.
"I am so pleased for the students that their hard work has paid off and I am enormously proud of our brilliant teachers and staff for their contribution.”
