The Lea Valley Academy

The Lea Valley Academy is performing well, achieving a 'Good' rating across all key areas of education, behaviour, personal development, leadership, and sixth-form provision. This marks the first inspection since its conversion to an academy and reflects a positive trajectory since joining the Edmonton Academy Trust. The school fosters an inclusive and respectful environment, encouraging pupils to grow into confident adults and promoting high aspirations for all students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Noteworthy elements include a broad and ambitious curriculum, effective safeguarding measures, and a commitment to personal development through various enrichment activities.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate excellent behaviour and respect towards one another.
• Leaders have created an inclusive school culture that celebrates diversity.
• Teachers show commitment and help pupils improve their work effectively.
• The school offers a broad and ambitious curriculum that meets pupils' needs.
• Strong emphasis on personal development with various enrichment programs.
• Effective safeguarding arrangements and a strong culture of safety.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers struggle to adapt their teaching effectively to meet all pupils' needs.

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 Lea Valley Academy attended 89.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 37.2% 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, 7.2% of pupils at The Lea Valley Academy 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 Lea Valley Academy had 15.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.5% 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, 17.7% of pupils at The Lea Valley Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.8% 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 Lea Valley Academy received £11,662 and spent £10,010 for each of its 850 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,469,000 (£1,729 per pupil).

Across all 3 schools of Edact, income was £10,490 and spending £9,160 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 Enfield · Enfield local authority: places and applications

The Lea Valley Academy is part of Edact, which runs 3 schools. The nearest others:

• Salmons Brook School Enfield
• Edmonton County School London

What is The Lea Valley Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Lea Valley Academy is Good, from an inspection in November 2022.

When was The Lea Valley Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Lea Valley Academy was last inspected in November 2022.

How many pupils does The Lea Valley Academy have?

The Lea Valley Academy has 830 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Lea Valley Academy cover?

The Lea Valley Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Lea Valley Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 34.4, and 19% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Lea Valley Academy?

The Lea Valley Academy is at Bullsmoor Lane, Enfield, EN3 6TW.