Education

There are 263 state schools in Leeds catering for over 107,000 pupils, making the city the second largest provider of education in England.

Leeds is committed to improving the quality and range of education by promoting equal opportunities, raising standards, building schools for the twenty first century, encouraging parental and pupil involvement, harnessing new technologies and linking with industry.

Children’s Services in Leeds provides an extensive range of educational and extended service activities including the Breeze youth activities, children’s centres, childcare and playschemes, sports and outdoor pursuits programmes.

There are also performing arts programmes in many schools, music centres in different areas of the city and an innovative city-wide ‘find your talent’ programme which encourages children and young people to get involved in cultural activities.

90% of 16 year olds in Leeds continue in education or training after compulsory schooling.

In Leeds and surrounding districts there is an extensive choice of independent preparatory and senior schools.

Leeds has two colleges of higher education and five colleges of further education – including a dedicated College of Building, College of Music and College of Art and Design – with a combined total of over 80,000 students.

Leeds College of Music is the UK’s largest music college with almost 2,500 students.

April 2009 saw the merger of Leeds College of Technology, Leeds Thomas Danby and Park Lane College to form the new Leeds City College, one of the largest colleges in the country with 60,000 students and an annual turnover of £70 million.

Leeds has two universities of international renown, with a combined total of over 60,000 students in full-time, part-time and continuing education. The two universities are investing over £500 million in new teaching facilities, student accommodation and state of the art conference facilities.

Leeds Met offers over 468 full and part-time undergraduate courses. The University of Leeds has one of the widest ranges of academic courses in the UK, offering 700 undergraduate and 474 postgraduate degree programmes.

Student applications to Leeds Met for the academic year 2008/09 increased by 11 per cent, against the national trend which saw an increase of 8 per cent in numbers applying to attend university.

The Carnegie Faculty of Sports&Education at Leeds Met has been chosen as the location for the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence. It will provide world class coaching, medical and sports science expertise in a drive to establish the UK as the world’s leading sports coaching nation by 2016.

In 2009, the business school at the University of Leeds is ranked 57th in the world by the Financial Times’ MBA rankings.

The Open University has its regional office in Leeds.

[Last update 5/7/10]