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 In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

for pupils aged 11–18 and is located on Lidgett Lane (B6137) in

Garforth Garforth () is a town in the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It sits in the Garforth and Swillington ward of Leeds City Council and the Elmet and Rothwell parliamentary constituency. As of 2011, the popula ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

, 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 Sportsmark is Sport England's accreditation scheme for secondary schools. The scheme recognises a school's out of hours sports provision.

(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 Barbara Anne Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn, (''née'' Betts; 6 October 1910 – 3 May 2002), was a British Labour Party politician who was a Member of Parliament from 1945 to 1979, making her one of the longest-serving female MPs in Bri ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...

, 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 KwaMashu is a township (South Africa), township north of Durban, South Africa. The name is in honour of Sir Marshall Campbell and means ''Place of Marshall''. KwaMashu is bordered by Newlands East to the south, Newlands West to the west, Ntuzuma t ...

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

. 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 Brigshaw High School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in the village of Allerton Bywater, West Yorkshire, England. History The school was opened in September 1972 with only 3 buildings within the school grounds, the ...

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 Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

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 A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

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 Gabrielle Marie Adcock (née White; born 30 September 1990) is an English retired badminton player. Career Gabby started playing badminton aged 10 in the badminton club at her school and became a full-time player straight from school at 16. S ...

, badminton player *

Will Boyle William Sam Douglas Harry Boyle (born 1 September 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre back for club Wrexham. Early life and club career Huddersfield Town William Sam Douglas Harry Boyle was born on 1 September 19 ...

, footballer *

Jake Charles Jake David Charles (born 16 February 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker or winger for Scarborough Athletic. Born in England, he has represented Wales at youth international level. Club career Huddersfield Town 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 Mitchell Perry Lund (born 13 June 1996) is an English footballer who plays as a right back for Bradford (Park Avenue). Career Doncaster Rovers After coming through Doncaster Rovers's youth system, he signed his first professional contract in M ...

, footballer *

Oli McBurnie Oliver Robert McBurnie (born 4 June 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Sheffield United and the Scotland national team. After playing youth football for Leeds United, McBurnie began his career with Bradford Ci ...

, footballer *

Lucy-Jo Hudson Lucy-Jo Hudson (born 4 May 1983) is an English actress, known for her roles as Katy Harris in ''Coronation Street'', Rosie Trevanion in '' Wild at Heart'' and Donna-Marie Quinn in ''Hollyoaks''. Her role as Rhiannon Davis in ''Doctors'' in 201 ...

, actress *

Gary Keedy Gary Keedy (born 27 November 1974) is a retired English cricketer. A slow-left arm spin bowler, he played one match for Yorkshire in 1994, having graduated from their cricket academy, before moving to Lancashire in 1995. He played for the club ...

, cricketerCricinfo - Players and Officials - Gary Keedy
/ref> *

Chris Silverwood Christopher Eric Wilfred Silverwood (born 5 March 1975) is a former international cricketer and a former head coach of the England cricket team. He is currently the Head Coach of the Sri Lanka Cricket Team. Early life and domestic playing care ...

, cricketerCricinfo - Players and Officials
- Chris Silverwood * Phil Sharpe, footballer & football manager *

Jenny Wallwork Jennifer "Jenny" Wallwork (born 17 January 1987 in Bolton) is an English badminton player who has achieved international success in both the women's events and the mixed doubles event, including a Commonwealth Silver medal in 2010.

, 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, Rugby League player * Tommy Spurr, 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