The Lenham School

The Lenham School is performing well, achieving a 'Good' rating across all inspected areas including education quality, behavior, personal development, and leadership. Since the headteacher's appointment, the school has made significant improvements in behavior and academic standards, fostering a supportive and well-ordered environment. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, allowing for comprehensive educational experiences that prepare students for future opportunities, including a focus on the International Baccalaureate in the sixth form. However, with the school's plans for curriculum development being relatively new, ongoing efforts are required to ensure consistency and clarity across all subjects.

Strengths

• Pupils exhibit good behavior and respectful attitudes.
• Strong relationships between staff and pupils create a supportive environment.
• Curriculum is ambitious and well-aligned with the English Baccalaureate.
• Teachers have good subject knowledge and high expectations.
• Pupils are well-prepared for future education and careers.

Areas for Improvement

• Subject plans for mathematics are not yet fully developed.
• Staff sometimes lack clarity on school priorities and timelines for improvement.

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 The Lenham School attended 90.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 29.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 11.6% of pupils at The Lenham School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 The Lenham School had 18.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 26.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 25.7% of pupils at The Lenham School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 The Lenham School received £7,584 and spent £7,223 for each of its 827 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,528,000 (£1,848 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Valley Invicta Academies Trust, income was £7,135 and spending £6,722 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 Maidstone · Kent local authority: places and applications

The Lenham School is part of Valley Invicta Academies Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• School of Science and Technology Maidstone Maidstone
• Valley Park School Maidstone
• Invicta Grammar School Maidstone
• Valley Invicta Primary School At East Borough Maidstone
• Valley Invicta Primary School At Aylesford Aylesford
• Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough Lakes Snodland
• Valley Invicta Primary School At Kings Hill West Malling
• Valley Invicta Primary School At Leybourne Chase West Malling

What is The Lenham School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Lenham School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was The Lenham School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Lenham School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does The Lenham School have?

The Lenham School has 820 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Lenham School cover?

The Lenham School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Lenham School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 37.3, and 19% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Lenham School?

The Lenham School is at Ham Lane, Lenham, Maidstone, Kent, ME17 2LL.