School portraits: snapshots of four notable schools

Roundhay School, Leeds

‘While we were taught about racism and sexism, there was too little time spent making sure everyone could read and write,’ said Liz Truss of her alma mater three years ago when she was minister for women and equalities. Roundhay School’s record begs to differ – it has been ranked ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted for more than a decade now. In 2020, the same year as Truss’s speech, the school received a World Class Schools Quality Mark. Roundhay is based in Leeds, and educates 2,600 pupils across a gorgeous 22-acre site on the outskirts of the city. Over the past 30 years, it has spawned a primary campus (it’s an ‘all-through school’, meaning it educates children from four to 18), as well as expanding its sports facilities so that it offers football, rugby, netball, cricket, hockey, tennis and climbing. ‘We refuse to ever stand still,’ says headmaster Matthew Partington.