SCHOOL PROFILE

Leigh Academy Minster

Secondary Academy sponsor led URN 150935
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,150 Published school capacity
Capacity used 87.4% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Ofsted inspection information

Latest published outcome No overall judgement
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

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

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,005 1,005 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 497 49.5% of pupils
Male pupils 508 50.5% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

41.8%
17.0 pts above England
School 41.8%
Swale 29.5%
South East 19.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

4.3%
16.0 pts below England
School 4.3%
Swale 8.3%
South East 15.6%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

4.3%
3.3 pts above England
School 4.3%
Swale 1.8%
South East 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
88.2%
886
Any other White background
3.8%
38
African
2.5%
25
White and Black Caribbean
1.2%
12
Gypsy / Roma
0.9%
9
Any other Mixed background
0.7%
7
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 12.0% 121 of 1,005 pupils
8.8 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 12.0%
Swale 24.2%
South East 21.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 9.6% 96 pupils
England 14.8% 5.2 pts below
EHC plans 2.5% 25 pupils
England 6.0% 3.5 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 46
Speech, language & communication 33
Autistic spectrum disorder 22
Specific learning difficulty 10
Moderate learning difficulty 4
Hearing impairment 2

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

28.4 10.8 pts below England
School 28.4
Swale 41.3
South East 38.5
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 7.5% England 36.0% 28.5 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 25.4% England 51.4% 26.0 pts below England
EBacc entry 32.9% England 30.6% 2.3 pts above England
EBacc average point score 2.36 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

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

13.01%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

6.79 pts higher than England
School 13.01%
Swale 7.16%
South East 6.30%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

39.27%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

23.45 pts higher than England
School 39.27%
Swale 19.36%
South East 15.75%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

8.34%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

6.54 pts higher than England
School 8.34%
Swale 2.33%
South East 1.93%
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

87.4% 4.9 pts below England
Leigh Academy Minster
87.4%
Swale
96.8%
South East
95.0%
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