The Ruth Gorse Academy

The Ruth Gorse Academy
Address
Black Bull Street Leeds , West Yorkshire , LS10 1HW England
Coordinates	53.79083°N 1.53528°W / 53.79083; -1.53528
Information
Type	Academy
Motto	Dare to achieve beyond what you are today
Religious affiliation(s)	Mixed
Established	2014
Trust	The GORSE Academies Trust
Department for Education URN	140565 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Chair of Governors	Stephen Hall
CEO	Sir John Townsley
Principal	Ben Mallinson
Deputy Chief Executive Officer	Leanne Griffiths
Gender	Mixed
Age	11 to 16
Enrolment	1274 as of July 2024^[update]
Houses	Chapman, Hersh, Maretta, Sinfield
Colour(s)	Red, Green, Yellow and Blue
Website	https://www.ruthgorse.leeds.sch.uk/

The Ruth Gorse Academy is a mixed secondary school located in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.

The school forms part of the Gorse Academies Trust which also includes The Farnley Academy, The Morley Academy and Elliott Hudson College.^[1]

History

The Ruth Gorse Academy opened in September 2014, and was initially based in the grounds of The Morley Academy.^[2] The school was named after a local teacher who died of cancer.^[3] In 2016, the school moved into a building constructed on a site formerly owned by Yorkshire Chemicals,^[4] which cost £23 million to build.^[3]

In July 2017, concerns were raised over the decision to appoint Liam Nolan as the school's principal, as he had previously resigned from the Perry Beeches Academy Trust after being criticised by the Education Funding Agency for 'significant weakness in financial management'. The school defended their decision to appoint him, describing themselves as a 'non-judgemental employer' and that they were 'entirely satisfied' Nolan had learnt from his mistakes.^[5] Nolan left the school in November 2017.^[6]

Teachers from the Ruth Gorse Academy were involved in the National Education Union strikes in February 2023.^[7]

In October 2023, the school received the 'Secondary Provision of the Year' award at the National Association for Special Education Needs awards.^[8] In December 2023, the school was rated as Outstanding by Ofsted for the second time, having previously been assessed in 2017.^[9]

References

1. "New Leeds free school head predicts fewer smaller sixth forms". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
2. Roberts, John (19 May 2014). "New principal's vision for city centre free school". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
3. "Leeds school The Ruth Gorse Academy opens £23m buildings". BBC. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
4. "New Ruth Gorse free school scheme for city site". BBC. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
5. "Leeds school says Liam Nolan has 'learned from mistakes'". BBC. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
6. Townsley, John (10 November 2017). "Change in Senior Leadership within the Academy" (PDF). Letter to. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
7. "Teachers' strike: Yorkshire staff walk out in pay row". BBC. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
8. Connolly, James (12 October 2023). "Ruth Gorse Academy: Leeds school 'extremely proud' as it wins prestigious award for special needs work". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
9. Grant, Alex (1 December 2023). "Ruth Gorse Academy: Ofsted hails continued excellence of Outstanding Leeds school with 'no barriers to success'". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 10 August 2024.

External links

• The Ruth Gorse Academy official Website