SCHOOL PROFILE

Leigh Academy Bexley

Secondary Academy sponsor led URN 149898
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 2,050 Published school capacity
Capacity used 42.6% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 19 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

12 May 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Strong standard
Curriculum & teaching Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Attendance & behaviour Expected standard
Personal development Expected standard
Leadership & governance Strong standard
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

4 May 2022
Graded inspection Inadequate
Published 19 July 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy sponsor led
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character —
Local authority Bexley
Trust LEIGH ACADEMIES TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 873 873 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 404 46.3% of pupils
Male pupils 469 53.7% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

41.6%
16.8 pts above England
School 41.6%
Bexley 20.2%
London 26.3%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

17.2%
3.1 pts below England
School 17.2%
Bexley 22.7%
London 39.2%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

3.1%
2.1 pts above England
School 3.1%
Bexley 0.6%
London 0.5%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
54.6%
477
African
10.5%
92
Any other White background
6.2%
54
Unclassified
5.7%
50
Indian
4.9%
43
Any other Mixed background
3.2%
28
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 25.7% 224 of 873 pupils
4.8 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 25.7%
Bexley 19.4%
London 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 22.5% 196 pupils
England 14.8% 7.7 pts above
EHC plans 3.2% 28 pupils
England 6.0% 2.8 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 61
Speech, language & communication 52
Autistic spectrum disorder 51
Specific learning difficulty 17
No specialist assessment yet 15
Other difficulty or disability 11

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

35.4 3.8 pts below England
School 35.4
Bexley 42.0
London 42.1
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 26.6% England 36.0% 9.4 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 43.7% England 51.4% 7.7 pts below England
EBacc entry 3.8% England 30.6% 26.8 pts below England
EBacc average point score 2.96 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.95 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

10.21%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

3.99 pts higher than England
School 10.21%
Bexley 6.12%
London 6.38%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

33.67%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

17.85 pts higher than England
School 33.67%
Bexley 15.72%
London 17.60%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

5.61%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

3.81 pts higher than England
School 5.61%
Bexley 1.68%
London 1.67%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

42.6% 49.7 pts below England
Leigh Academy Bexley
42.6%
Bexley
91.6%
London
91.3%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information