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 school been awarded the Artsmark (2002),"Round 2 Artsmark Awards". Arts Council (web archive). Retrieved 4 July 2022 Investors in People Award, (2003), Schools Achievement Award, (2003), Education Extra award, (2001), Sportsmark (2002), and Beacon School status (2000), and OFSTED described the school in 2010 (before it changed to academy status) as an "outstanding school".
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.Whilst no source gives an exact date for the school’s change of name, the earliest mention of Garforth Community College is from the following source from 1992: In November 2010, the school became Garforth Academy under the Academies Act 2010, 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 for services to local and national education.
Notable alumni Gabby Adcock, badminton player Will Boyle, footballer Jake Charles, footballer James Denny, diver Jessica Fletcher, badminton Sian Gabbidon, businesswoman Mitchell Lund, footballer Oli McBurnie, footballer Lucy-Jo Hudson, actress Gary Keedy, cricketer Chris Silverwood, cricketerCricinfo – Players and Officials – Chris Silverwood Phil Sharpe, footballer & football manager Jenny Wallwork, badminton player Andrew White, musician Ryan Hudson, 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