Leigh Academy Rainham

Leigh Academy Rainham is performing well, achieving an overall effectiveness rating of 'Good' while excelling in behaviour, personal development, and leadership. The school, part of the Leigh Academies Trust, has been operational since September 2021 and this was its first inspection. The curriculum is designed to be ambitious and relevant, encouraging students to engage deeply and work independently. Notably, pupils exhibit high levels of self-control and respect, contributing to a calm and orderly environment conducive to learning. The school prioritizes student well-being and offers a rich personal development programme that prepares them well for life beyond school.

Strengths

• High expectations from staff encourage excellent pupil performance.
• Curriculum is interesting, ambitious, and well-structured.
• Pupils demonstrate exemplary behaviour and self-control.
• Strong support for pupils' mental health and well-being.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Excellent personal development curriculum with extensive extracurricular activities.

Areas for Improvement

• A small number of teachers use less effective pedagogical strategies.

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 Rainham attended 93.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 17.3% 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 Leigh Academy Rainham were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 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 Rainham had 18.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.4% 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, 19.4% of pupils at Leigh Academy Rainham were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.5% 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 Rainham received £7,689 and spent £7,702 for each of its 796 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £403,000 (£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 Gillingham · Medway local authority: places and applications

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

• Leigh Academy Hundred of Hoo Rochester
• Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School Rochester
• Leigh Academy Bearsted Maidstone
• Leigh Academy Snowfields Maidstone
• Leigh Academy Peninsula East Rochester
• Leigh Academy High Halstow Rochester
• Leigh Academy Strood Rochester
• Leigh Academy Minster Sheerness
• Leigh Academy Molehill Maidstone
• Leigh Academy Oaks Maidstone

What is Leigh Academy Rainham's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Leigh Academy Rainham is Good, from an inspection in April 2024.

When was Leigh Academy Rainham last inspected by Ofsted?

Leigh Academy Rainham was last inspected in April 2024.

How many pupils does Leigh Academy Rainham have?

Leigh Academy Rainham has 964 pupils on roll.

What age range does Leigh Academy Rainham cover?

Leigh Academy Rainham for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are Leigh Academy Rainham's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 44.5, and 30% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Leigh Academy Rainham?

Leigh Academy Rainham is at Otterham Quay Lane, Rainham, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 8GS.