West Leigh Junior School

West Leigh Junior School is performing at a strong standard, with pupils achieving highly in national tests and demonstrating deep understanding across a range of subjects. The school showcases a thorough and ambitious curriculum, enabling students, including those with special educational needs and disadvantaged backgrounds, to excel and be well-prepared for their future educational steps. A positive culture of safeguarding is evident as leaders prioritize pupil safety and wellbeing, allowing for a supportive and secure learning environment. Overall, the school fosters high standards of behavior, attendance, and a love of learning among its pupils.

Strengths

• Pupils consistently achieve highly in national tests.
• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Positive and open culture of safeguarding.
• High-quality curriculum designed to foster knowledge retention and application.
• Incredibly low levels of bullying and high standards of behavior.
• Leaders have a clear vision for continuous improvement.
• Staff receive extensive professional development.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at West Leigh Junior School attended 96.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.2% of pupils at West Leigh Junior School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 West Leigh Junior School had 19.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 6.5% of pupils at West Leigh Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 West Leigh Junior School received £6,027 and spent £6,469 for each of its 528 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £941,000 (£1,783 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of Portico Academy Trust, income was £6,839 and spending £6,653 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Leigh-On-Sea · Southend-on-Sea local authority: places and applications

West Leigh Junior School is part of Portico Academy Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Porters Grange Primary School and Nursery Southend-On-Sea
• Hamstel Junior School Southend-On-Sea
• Hamstel Infant School and Nursery Southend-On-Sea
• Friars Primary School and Nursery Southend-On-Sea

What is West Leigh Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for West Leigh Junior School is Strong standard, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was West Leigh Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

West Leigh Junior School was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does West Leigh Junior School have?

West Leigh Junior School has 526 pupils on roll.

What age range does West Leigh Junior School cover?

West Leigh Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are West Leigh Junior School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 84% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is West Leigh Junior School?

West Leigh Junior School is at Ronald Hill Grove, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, SS9 2JB.