Photo: Stephen Armstrong · CC BY-SA 2.0primary results put Pudsey’s state schools ahead of 87% of towns in England; secondary results, of 47%
Reading, writing and maths at the expected standard: 70% of primary pupils in Pudsey, above both West Yorkshire’s towns (64%) and towns in England (62%). 13 state-funded schools are located in Pudsey’s built-up area. Pudsey grades B+ for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #30 of 91 in West Yorkshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.
What stands out about Pudsey’s schools
Strong primaries, weaker secondaries
Pudsey’s secondary results beat 47% of English towns; its primary results beat 87%. 70% of the large town’s 11-year-olds meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England and 62% across Leeds. The spread between primaries is wide: 78% at Lowtown Primary School, 49% at Farsley Westroyd Primary School and Nursery. Every school’s result ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
Pudsey grades B+ for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
The primary figure lifts Pudsey; the secondary figure holds it back.
The primary figure: 10 primaries in the town, 1,485 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 3 secondaries in the town, 610 pupils in results. Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Where Pudsey’s 13 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Pudsey’s built-up area.
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table. The 3 secondaries are named.
Which schools do better than their intake suggests
Schools with more pupils on free school meals tend to get lower results. The dashed line is the typical school in England for each level of free school meals; the band holds the middle two-thirds. A dot above the band is doing better than schools like it.
The share of pupils on free school meals runs from 4% at Farsley Springbank Primary School to 37% at Co-op Academy Priesthorpe. Against schools with the same intake, Lowtown Primary School does best: 78% with 13% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 65%. 7 of 10 primaries and 0 of 3 secondaries are above the line.
Show as a table
| School | Free school meals | Result | Typical for that intake | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowtown Primary SchoolKS2 % | 13% | 78% | 65% | +13 |
| Pudsey Primrose Hill Primary SchoolKS2 % | 11% | 78% | 66% | +12 |
| Southroyd Primary and Nursery SchoolKS2 % | 19% | 75% | 64% | +11 |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyKS2 % | 10% | 76% | 66% | +10 |
| Farsley Springbank Primary SchoolKS2 % | 4% | 74% | 68% | +6 |
| Pudsey Waterloo PrimaryKS2 % | 21% | 69% | 63% | +6 |
| Farsley Farfield Primary SchoolKS2 % | 11% | 66% | 66% | +0 |
| Greenside Primary SchoolKS2 % | 13% | 64% | 65% | −1 |
| Co-op Academy PriesthorpeAttainment 8 | 37% | 43 | 45 | −1 |
| Pudsey Bolton Royd Primary SchoolKS2 % | 25% | 60% | 62% | −2 |
| Crawshaw AcademyAttainment 8 | 28% | 46 | 48 | −2 |
| Pudsey Grammar SchoolAttainment 8 | 24% | 45 | 49 | −4 |
| Farsley Westroyd Primary School and NurseryKS2 % | 18% | 49% | 64% | −15 |
Free school meals: pupils eligible now, DfE January 2026 census. The typical-school line is a straight-line fit across every graded school in England. It describes; it doesn’t grade: the School Grade uses results alone.
How school places work in Pudsey
Leeds Council handles applications for every state school in Pudsey, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 1 of Pudsey’s 13 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Useful: Apply for a primary place (GOV.UK) · Apply for a secondary place (GOV.UK) · How admissions criteria work
How full each school is
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 2 schools are at or over it.
Show all 13 schools
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
13 state schools in Pudsey
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted inspections
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 0 of Pudsey’s 13 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
6 academy trusts and the council
Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.
| Run by | Schools | Pupils | Their letters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owlcotes Multi Academy TrustPudsey Primrose Hill, Pudsey Waterloo | 2 | 886 | AB+ |
| 21St Century Learning PartnershipPudsey Grammar | 1 | 1,358 | C+ |
| Red Kite Learning TrustCrawshaw | 1 | 1,052 | B |
| Co-Operative Academies TrustCo-op Academy Priesthorpe | 1 | 1,013 | C+ |
| Inspire Co-Operative Learning TrustSouthroyd | 1 | 459 | A− |
| Bishop Wheeler Catholic Academy TrustSt Joseph's | 1 | 297 | A |
| Leeds CouncilFarsley Farfield, Pudsey Bolton Royd, Farsley Springbank, Greenside, Farsley Westroyd, Lowtown | 6 | 1,994 | BC+A−B−C−A |
Where Pudsey’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
1 of Pudsey’s 3 state secondaries has a sixth form: Pudsey Grammar. The nearest college is Bradford College, a further-education college 3.7 miles away.
| College | Distance |
|---|---|
| Bradford CollegeFurther-education college · BD7 1AY | 3.7 mi |
| Luminate Education GroupFurther-education college · LS3 1AA | 4.6 mi |
| Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form CollegeFurther-education college · LS2 9BL | 4.9 mi |
| Shipley CollegeFurther-education college · BD18 3JW | 5.4 mi |
44th of 191 English towns of 24,000 to 47,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Pudsey, and the top and bottom of the group.
| # | Town | Schools | KS2 | Attainment 8 | Grade 5+ E&M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harpenden Hertfordshire | A+ | 79% | 60 | 72% |
| … | |||||
| 40 | Heswall Merseyside | B+ | 67% | 47.1 | 47% |
| 41 | Loughton Essex | B+ | 64% | 48.4 | 52% |
| 42 | Lytham St Anne's Lancashire | B+ | 69% | 46.7 | 44% |
| 43 | Ormskirk Lancashire | B+ | 67% | 47.2 | 47% |
| 44 | Pudsey West Yorkshire | B+ | 70% | 44.9 | 45% |
| 45 | Sevenoaks Kent | B+ | 76% | 45.1 | 40% |
| 46 | Kendal Cumbria | B+ | 66% | 48.2 | 46% |
| 47 | Bushey Hertfordshire | B+ | 62% | 50.6 | 57% |
| 48 | Atherton Greater Manchester | B+ | 66% | 46.7 | 46% |
| … | |||||
| 191 | Herne Bay Kent | D− | 49% | 35.5 | 23% |
Pudsey and the places around it
Coloured by School Grade.
| Town | Schools | KS2 | Att. 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pudsey 13 schools | B+ | 70% | 44.9 |
| Calverley 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 2 mi | A− | 74% | 45 |
| Drighlington 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 3.2 mi | B | 63% | 47 |
| Gildersome 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 3.2 mi | B | 63% | 48.1 |
| Rawdon 3 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 3.6 mi | A− | 68% | 47.8 |
| Bradford 134 schools · 3.7 mi | C | 58% | 41.6 |
| Gomersal and Birkenshaw 6 schools · 4 mi | B− | 62% | 43.8 |
| Oakenshaw 0 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 4.6 mi | C− | 58% | 41 |
Calverley has the best-graded schools nearby (A−). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
- Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Pudsey: 10% (England’s average school: 8%).
- Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
- Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
- Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
- Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
- Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
- Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Pudsey
Are schools in Pudsey good?
Pudsey’s state schools earn a B+ against schools across England: primary results beat 87% of towns in England; secondary results beat 47% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Leeds council.
What is the best secondary school in Pudsey?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, Crawshaw Academy: Attainment 8 of 45.6 and 51% with grade 5+ in English and maths, against 47.3 at the average school in England. Results are one measure; distance decides most places.
What is the best primary school in Pudsey?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Lowtown Primary School: 78% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Pudsey secondary schools have sixth forms?
1 of 3 do.
How do I apply for a school place in Pudsey?
Through Leeds Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many schools in Pudsey are full?
2 of 13 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as places, on DfE’s January 2026 census. A full school still admits by its rules, usually distance after siblings.
How many state schools are in Pudsey?
13 open state-funded schools are located in Pudsey’s built-up area: 10 primary, 3 secondary and 0 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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