Leigh Academy Blackheath

Leigh Academy Blackheath has demonstrated outstanding performance across all domains in its first inspection. The school has established a high-quality educational environment guided by leaders with high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The curriculum is ambitious and well-sequenced, allowing pupils to develop a strong foundation in knowledge and skills. Furthermore, the school's commitment to personal development and community engagement is commendable, with pupils actively participating in various activities beyond academics.

Strengths

• Leaders have high expectations for all pupils, including those with SEND.
• Curriculum far exceeds the ambition of the national curriculum.
• Pupils engage well with the local community through volunteering.
• Exceptional pupil behaviour in classrooms and school environment.
• Teachers are subject experts and adapt lessons to address misconceptions.
• A broad range of personal development opportunities is available to pupils.
• Effective safeguarding arrangements and a knowledgeable safeguarding team.
• Strong emphasis on vocabulary development and reading skills.

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 Leigh Academy Blackheath attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 14.2% 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, 5.1% of pupils at Leigh Academy Blackheath 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 Leigh Academy Blackheath had 23.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 31.4% 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, 18.6% of pupils at Leigh Academy Blackheath were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.6% 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 Leigh Academy Blackheath received £9,041 and spent £8,841 for each of its 1,038 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £526,000 (£506 per pupil).

Across all 33 schools of Leigh Academies Trust, income was £8,972 and spending £8,821 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 Greenwich · Greenwich local authority: places and applications

Leigh Academy Blackheath is part of Leigh Academies Trust, which runs 33 schools. The nearest others:

• Leigh Academy Halley London
• Leigh Stationers' Primary Academy Welling
• Leigh Stationers' Academy London
• Leigh Academy Bexley Erith
• Leigh Academy Wilmington Wilmington
• Leigh UTC Dartford Dartford
• Leigh Academy Dartford Dartford
• Sir Geoffrey Leigh Academy Dartford
• Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard Ebbsfleet
• Leigh Academy Ebbsfleet Swanscombe

What is Leigh Academy Blackheath's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Leigh Academy Blackheath is Outstanding, from an inspection in February 2023.

When was Leigh Academy Blackheath last inspected by Ofsted?

Leigh Academy Blackheath was last inspected in February 2023.

How many pupils does Leigh Academy Blackheath have?

Leigh Academy Blackheath has 1,060 pupils on roll.

What age range does Leigh Academy Blackheath cover?

Leigh Academy Blackheath for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Leigh Academy Blackheath's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 53.7, and 62% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Leigh Academy Blackheath?

Leigh Academy Blackheath is at Old Dover Road, Blackheath, London, SE3 8SY.