| Motto | "Reaching for Excellence" |
|---|---|
| Established | 1967[1] |
| Type | Secondary school |
| Headmaster | Paul West |
| Specialism | Arts College |
| Location | Lidgett Lane Garforth West Yorkshire LS25 1LJ England |
| Local authority | City of Leeds |
| DfE URN | 108089 |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Staff | 70 |
| Students | 1,950 |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Website | www.garforth.leeds.sch.uk |
Garforth Academy (formerly known as Garforth Comprehensive School until September 1992 and Garforth Community College until November 2010) is a secondary school and sixth form for pupils aged 11–18 and is located on Lidgett Lane (B6137) in Garforth, West Yorkshire, England. The college has specialist Arts College status. It has been awarded the Artsmark (2002), Investors in People Award, (2003), Schools Achievement Award, (2003), Education Extra award, (2001), Sportsmark, (2002) and Beacon School status (2003), and OFSTED describes the college as an "outstanding school"[2]
Contents |
The colleges pupil and staff numbers vary yearly at around 2,000 from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds, as the 2004 Ofsted review highlights. The College occupies an area of 28 acres, with playing fields, sports facilities including an artificial turf pitch and several large halls, including a recently refurbished main sports hall. In being a a specialist performing Arts College, the college has undergone extensive improvements to Music, Media and Information Technology departments, including specialised professional sound production hardware, and well equipped public music, or drama spaces. Recently, Child Care facilities have been added to the range of courses available. It is also one of the pioneering schools behind a finger-print placed lunch payment system, and recent refurbishment to the catering areas has led to the creation of comfortable and modern social areas - a balance being struck been the 1960s design, and the demands of modern day education.
The College places itself at the centre of its community and takes its responsibility for lifelong learning and the provision of enrichment, enhancement and support programmes for its students seriously. A range of holiday activities are offered by the College and before and after school care for working parents is offered on-site through an Ofsted approved private partner. The College’s Youth & Community Programme offers evening and weekend activities featuring a range of leisure and skills based courses, a 6-14 Junior Academy programme for Dance and Hair and Beauty and full day workshop sessions for adults. Family Language classes welcome parents to learn alongside their children in French & Spanish. Parents are also supported with classes offered at strategic times, where they can be introduced to the mysteries and demands of Key Stage 3 Maths, English and Science and learn about the pressures the children are placed under at GCSE in terms of assignments and projects. All parents are also invited to join COMPAS, the College’s Parent Teacher Association. Its prime intention is to encourage a better understanding between parents and teachers for the benefit of all students in the College. After 2.30, the end of the school day, the College has a full range of enrichment activities with clubs, societies, sports, drama and music groups, open to all students. Student support activities include a homework club, which meets four times a week, and a mentoring scheme for targeted students. Furthermore, The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme is very active in College and a full-time Youth Worker operates on-site. The Specialist School designation provides the opportunity and funding to specialise in Arts activities. The College has a vibrant Saturday Performing Arts School and provides the management structure and energy for the annual Garforth Arts Festival.
In the book The Modfather, David Lines describes his time at the school in the late 1970s and early 1980s in great detail. He described the school as looking like a cold hard slab of institutionalised concrete and after leaving a leafy Nottinghamshire grammar school described his shock on his first day of the pupils wearing 'menacing boots' and watching his classmates 'literally kicking seven shades out of each other'.[3]
The school gets the best GCSE results in Leeds LEA according to the Yorkshire Evening Post. As a result of dramatic improvements in the past decade, The Head Teacher, Paul Edwards, received a Knighthood in the New Year Honours 2009 for services to local and national education.[4] In 2009 Mr Ian Colly replaced Edwards after being appointed Chairman.