Leigh Academy Paddock Wood

Paddock Wood Primary Academy has demonstrated a good overall performance with notable strengths in behavior and personal development, both rated as outstanding. The school provides a safe, engaging environment where pupils are eager to learn and participate in various extracurricular activities. Leadership has experienced some recent changes, but the trust has responded effectively to ensure that the school remains well-managed and supportive for both staff and students. The curriculum is ambitious and well-structured, aligning teaching across subjects, though there is room for improvement in the consistency of assessment and pedagogy application across classes.

Strengths

• Pupils are excited to learn in a safe and stimulating environment.
• The school offers a wide range of leadership and extracurricular opportunities.
• Pupils' behavior is exemplary, fostering a polite and respectful atmosphere.
• Staff provide consistent support to help pupils achieve their best.
• The school has a well-developed personal development program.
• Reading is prioritized, with strong phonics instruction and engaging reading initiatives.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in presenting subject matter and checking pupils' understanding.

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 Paddock Wood attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.7% 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, 1.6% of pupils at Leigh Academy Paddock Wood 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 Leigh Academy Paddock Wood had 23.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 29.9% 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, 6.6% of pupils at Leigh Academy Paddock Wood were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.8% 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 Leigh Academy Paddock Wood received £6,140 and spent £6,469 for each of its 616 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £312,000 (£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 Tonbridge · Kent local authority: places and applications

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

• Leigh Academy Mascalls Tonbridge
• Leigh Academy Horsmonden Tonbridge
• Leigh Academy Marden Tonbridge
• Leigh Academy Hugh Christie Tonbridge
• Leigh Academy Tonbridge Tonbridge
• Leigh Academy Oaks Maidstone
• Leigh Academy Molehill Maidstone
• Leigh Academy Tree Tops Maidstone
• Leigh Academy Langley Park Maidstone
• Leigh Academy Bearsted Maidstone

What is Leigh Academy Paddock Wood's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Leigh Academy Paddock Wood is Good, from an inspection in December 2023.

When was Leigh Academy Paddock Wood last inspected by Ofsted?

Leigh Academy Paddock Wood was last inspected in December 2023.

How many pupils does Leigh Academy Paddock Wood have?

Leigh Academy Paddock Wood has 618 pupils on roll.

What age range does Leigh Academy Paddock Wood cover?

Leigh Academy Paddock Wood for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Leigh Academy Paddock Wood's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 86% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Leigh Academy Paddock Wood?

Leigh Academy Paddock Wood is at Old Kent Road, Paddock Wood, Tonbridge, Kent, TN12 6JE.