Specialist Leeds school for 'high-attaining' pupils in maths and science enjoys first Ofsted inspection

Leeds Mathematics School (LMaS), located on Albion Street, The Headrow, has been visited by Ofsted inspectors for the first time.

The specialist sixth form college, part of the GORSE Academies Trust, and run in partnership with the University of Leeds, is for high-attainers in maths and maths-based sciences.

Officially opening in the old Leeds Building Society site in September 2023, LMaS was rated as having made “significant progress” in all three inspected categories during their initial Monitoring Visit.

Ofsted said: “Leaders have created a very well-resourced and studious learning environment in the centre of Leeds. Students have access to high-quality classrooms and laboratories as well as plentiful social spaces where they can study, play music, or take part in sporting activities.

“Leaders have implemented effective quality assurance processes to keep the quality of education under frequent review. Managers and teaching staff monitor the outcomes of assessments together, paying particular attention to the progress that different groups of students are making.”

The careers education, advice and guidance offered by staff is described as “very well focused” on providing experiences that help students plan their medium to long-term career path.

“Almost all” the Year 13 students have been successful in securing offers for competitive courses such as aerospace engineering and mathematics at prestigious universities.

Students take part in the ‘Leeds mathematics certificate’ where they complete “ambitious research projects” set by academic staff from universities or employers.

The education watchdog added: “Leaders recruit well-qualified teachers who use their subject expertise to incite students’ interest, passion, and curiosity for their subjects. They create classrooms that are alive with mathematical and scientific conversation.

“Teachers assess students’ starting points accurately and use the results to inform the curriculum. They test students’ core mathematical skills and conceptual knowledge in order to plan the best way to build students’ algebraic fluency.”

Leaders ensure that students access a wide range of work placement opportunities to develop their work-related behaviours and skills for employment.

Staff record any safeguarding concerns “thoroughly and update their records frequently” so that the information that they hold about students is accurate and up to date.

Students “feel safe” and “appreciate the care of the staff team.” They know who to contact if they have a concern for their safety.

Robert Wilne, the Principal of Leeds Mathematics School, said: “We are delighted that Ofsted has identified so much to celebrate in our strong, thriving and happy community, and has given us the highest possible judgement in all three areas they assessed. Students come to us because they want to ‘find their tribe’ of like-minded peers and teachers, and the inspection report describes so clearly that they do.

“We are especially pleased that – given that the school was specifically set up to give an exceptional education to young people who might otherwise not have that opportunity – Ofsted highlights how committed we are in recruiting students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

If you’d like to receive more stories like this and the latest news from the Yorkshire Evening Post, click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter.

“I would like to thank everyone involved with Leeds Mathematics School for making it the success it has so quickly become - the students, parents and carers, staff, governors and colleagues at the University of Leeds and the GORSE Academies Trust.

“We are excited about building on such a strong start and going from strength to strength in the weeks, months and years to come.”

A full graded inspection is expected to be carried out in due course.