Garforth Academy (formerly known as Garforth Comprehensive School until September 1992 and Garforth Community College until November 2010) is a

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

and sixth form for pupils aged 11–18 and is located on Lidgett Lane (B6137) in Garforth, West Yorkshire, England. The school been awarded the

Artsmark Artsmark is the creative quality standard for schools and education settings, awarded by Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is ...

(2002),

Investors in People Investors in People is a standard for people management, offering accreditation to organisations that adhere to the Investors in People Standard. From 1991 to January 2017, Investors in People was owned by the UK government. As of 1 February 20 ...

Award, (2003), Schools Achievement Award, (2003), Education Extra award, (2001), Sportsmark (2002), and Beacon School status (2000), and

OFSTED The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a Non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...

described the school in 2010 (before it changed to academy status) as an "outstanding school".Ofsted: Garforth Community College
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History

The school was opened as Garforth Comprehensive School in 1967. Barbara Castle, Member of Parliament for Blackburn, performed an official opening of the school on 11 October 1969. By 1992, the school was known as Garforth Community College. In November 2010, the school became Garforth Academy under the

Academies Act 2010 An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...

, becoming a part of the Delta Academies Trust.

Extracurricular activities

Since 2008, Garforth Academy has partnered with Mzuvele High School in KwaMashu, Durban. In 2011, students from Garforth Academy travelled to Mzuvele to take part in a musical collaboration with students from the school. In 2010, Garforth Academy hosted the launch of Arts Live, a community arts partnership between the school, Brigshaw High School and ArtForms, the music and arts service provided by Education Leeds.

In literature

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'.

Academic performance

As a result of improvements in the previous decade, the headteacher, Paul Edwards, received a knighthood in the

New Year Honours 2009 The New Year Honours 2009 were announced on 31 December 2008 in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Barbados, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Christopher and Nevis,Saint Christopher. to ...

for services to local and national education.

Notable alumni

* Gabby Adcock, badminton player * Will Boyle, footballer * Jake Charles, footballer * James Denny, diver *

Jessica Fletcher Jessica Beatrice "J. B." Fletcher (born Jessica Beatrice MacGill) is a detective show character and the protagonist on the American television series ''Murder, She Wrote''. Portrayed by award-winning actress Angela Lansbury, Fletcher is a bes ...

, badminton * Mitchell Lund, footballer * Oli McBurnie, footballer * Lucy-Jo Hudson, actress * Gary Keedy, cricketerCricinfo - Players and Officials - Gary Keedy
/ref> * Chris Silverwood, cricketerCricinfo - Players and Officials
- Chris Silverwood * Phil Sharpe, footballer & football manager * Jenny Wallwork, badminton player * Andrew White, musician *

Ryan Hudson Ryan Lee Hudson (born 20 November 1979), also known by the nicknames of "Raz", and "Hudders", is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. He played at representative level for Great Britai ...

, Rugby League player *

Tom Olbison Tom Olbison (born 20 March 1991) is an English professional rugby league footballer who last played as a forward for the Toronto Wolfpack in the Betfred Super League He has previously played for the Bradford Bulls and the Widnes Vikings in t ...

, Rugby League player *

Tommy Spurr Thomas Spurr (born 30 September 1987) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender for Sheffield Wednesday, Doncaster Rovers, Blackburn Rovers, Preston North End and a loan spell with Fleetwood Town. Career Sheffiel ...

, footballer * Liam Williams, comedian/writer

References

External links

School website

Garforth Community Sixth Form website
{{authority control Academies in Leeds Educational institutions established in 1967 1967 establishments in England Secondary schools in Leeds Delta schools Garforth