Leigh Academy Bexley Review 2026: A large Erith secondary with sixth form, rebuilding pace and expectations

Leigh Academy Bexley is a big, mixed secondary and sixth form on Avenue Road in Erith, with the scale to offer a wide spread of courses and enrichment, but also the organisational challenge that comes with being built for 2,050 pupils. It joined Leigh Academies Trust in summer 2023, with Mr John Dixon leading as substantive Principal from 01 June 2023.

Families researching the school need to read it in two layers. The academy’s current registration is relatively new, and as of 23 January 2026 there is no published Ofsted report for Leigh Academy Bexley under URN 149898. At the same time, the predecessor school on the same site, King Henry School, was judged Inadequate at inspection on 04 May 2022, with a later monitoring visit in December 2022. That context matters for understanding why the academy places so much emphasis on systems, routines, staff development, and a “reset” narrative.

Academically, the current published outcomes point to significant work still to do. GCSE and A-level measures sit below England norms, and the Progress 8 figure suggests students, on average, have not been keeping up from their starting points. For many families, the decision hinges on trajectory, support, and whether the school’s operational discipline matches a child’s needs.

The academy’s public messaging is direct about purpose: preparing students for careers, relationships, and thoughtful participation in the world, alongside a clear commitment to the local community. That reads less like a traditional “results first” pitch and more like a “rebuild the basics, then widen horizons” approach, which fits a school in improvement mode.

Daily structure is explicit and detailed. The published timings show an 8:30am start, a 3:15pm finish on most days, and a 2:00pm finish on Wednesdays for staff training, with a sixth period after 3:15pm used for enrichment and additional sessions. This matters for culture. A timetable that makes room for planned training and planned enrichment tends to create fewer ad hoc decisions, and fewer ad hoc decisions generally lead to more consistency for students.

Another revealing feature is the academy’s use of “modules” for organising the year, and how the enrichment offer is framed and refreshed by module. That kind of cadence can help students who respond well to short cycles, clear deadlines, and regular resets. It can be less comfortable for students who prefer the same club, same teacher, same routine for long stretches, although the presence of ongoing clubs like library and breakfast provision suggests there is still a stable core.

Leadership context is also unusually important here. Mr Dixon’s appointment from June 2023 is presented by the trust as part of a wider change programme, including staffing and a “small school model” intended to raise care and achievement. For parents, that is the practical question to test in conversation: what does “small school model” mean day to day, and how is it experienced by a Year 7 student in a large institution.

On headline GCSE measures attainment and progress are weak. The school’s Attainment 8 score is 32.7. Progress 8 is -0.95, which indicates students have made substantially less progress than pupils with similar starting points across England. EBacc entry and outcomes also look limited: the average EBacc APS score is 2.83, compared with an England figure of 4.08, and 6% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in the EBacc measure used here.

In FindMySchool’s GCSE ranking, Leigh Academy Bexley is ranked 3,624th in England, and 2nd in the local area listed as Erith. This places it below England average overall, within the lower-performing band of schools in England even while it sits relatively higher within its immediate locality. (These are proprietary FindMySchool rankings based on official data.)

At A-level, the pattern is similar. In FindMySchool’s A-level ranking, the academy is 2,453rd in England and 2nd locally (Erith), again indicating outcomes that sit in the lower-performing band in England overall, while ranking comparatively higher against nearby providers. (These are proprietary FindMySchool rankings based on official data.)

The A-level grade profile is also challenging. A* grades account for 4.62% of entries, B grades 9.23%, and A* to B combined 13.85%, compared with an England A* to B benchmark of 47.2%. Parents comparing local sixth forms should use the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool to view these figures side by side, then look beyond grades into subject availability and student support.

Because recent inspection evidence is not yet published for the current academy registration, the most reliable “teaching and learning” signals are operational rather than evaluative: curriculum structure, published routines, and the support architecture implied by the timetable and enrichment scaffolding.

The school day is built around repeated tutor time touchpoints, with structured sessions both early and mid-morning. That usually signals a behaviour and culture strategy that relies on frequent check-ins and consistent adult visibility, rather than leaving everything to lesson-to-lesson transitions. For students who benefit from clear boundaries and predictable adult contact, this can be reassuring.

There is also a visible academic support layer after 3:15pm, where period 6 is used for enrichment and additional sessions, and the timetable notes that GCSE students may be expected to attend extra sessions. In practice, families should ask how this is targeted, whether it is compulsory for specific cohorts, and how the academy ensures it supports students without turning into an endurance test.

At sixth form, the published admissions criteria point to a mix of pathways. A-level entry requires 7 GCSEs at grade 5 or above, vocational routes require 5 GCSEs at grade 4 or above, and combined pathways sit between the two. The detail suggests a sixth form designed to take both academic and applied learners, but with explicit thresholds designed to prevent students being placed on courses that do not match their prior attainment.

Where Students Go Next

The academy offers sixth form provision on site, and admissions arrangements indicate that internal applicants meeting criteria are admitted, even if that exceeds capacity, while external applicants are considered only if there is space after internal progression. Capacity is stated as 180 for Year 12, with a published threshold that if 180 or more internal students meet criteria and wish to enter Year 12, external applicants are not considered. For a Year 11 family, this translates into a practical planning point: internal progression is supported, but course entry still depends on meeting minimum grades.

The school does not publish, in the sources used here, verified destination percentages or counts to Russell Group or Oxbridge, and the available destination fields are suppressed. The most useful approach for parents is therefore qualitative: ask about careers education, work experience structure, apprenticeship guidance, and how university applications are supported, including personal statement support and predicted grades governance.

For Year 11 students who may not continue into the sixth form, the key question is transition planning. Large schools can be excellent at building partnerships with local colleges and training providers, but parents should push for concrete examples: named providers, typical routes taken by similar students, and the support offered after GCSE results day.

For Year 7 entry, admissions are coordinated through the London Borough of Bexley’s coordinated scheme and timetable, with the academy publishing a PAN of 250 for Year 7 in 2025/26. In the academy’s oversubscription criteria, priority follows the standard pattern: Education, Health and Care Plans naming the school, looked-after and previously looked-after children, then a sequence including medical or social need, siblings, and finally distance measured in a straight line using the local authority’s system. The academy’s 2026/27 arrangements also include a staff criterion, giving priority to children of staff employed for two or more years, or recruited for a post with a skill shortage.

The borough timetable for secondary transfer into September 2026 sets the application window as 01 September 2025 to 31 October 2025, with offers made on 02 March 2026. Families planning ahead should use FindMySchoolMap Search to check their home-to-school distance carefully, then treat distance as a moving target, because how far the final offer reaches changes year to year based on who applies.

Open events for the September 2026 intake were scheduled in late September and early October 2025, including an open evening and multiple open mornings, with booking indicated. If you are reading this after those dates, the safest assumption is that open events usually sit in that same early autumn window each year; confirm the current year’s schedule directly with the academy.

In a school this large, pastoral quality often comes down to whether the safety and support roles are clear, and whether students and families know how to access them without friction. The academy publishes safeguarding and child protection documentation that sets out safeguarding leadership roles, including a designated safeguarding lead structure, and a named mental health lead function.

The timetable itself also signals a pastoral stance. Regular tutor time, assemblies, and a weekly rhythm that includes staff training time can all support consistent expectations and consistent follow-up. For families, the practical question is how concerns are tracked and escalated, and how quickly the school responds when attendance, behaviour, or wellbeing begin to slip.

Given the predecessor school’s Inadequate judgement, parents should treat safeguarding, behaviour systems, and staff stability as core due diligence topics. Ask for specifics: how behaviour is logged, how restorative work is done, how exclusions are used, and what the academy expects from families when issues arise. A child who likes structure and clear rules may find this environment increasingly workable, whereas a child who needs a very calm, low-stimulus setting may require more tailored support.

The academy’s enrichment model is unusually tangible because it publishes a club offer by module with times, rooms, and short descriptions. In Modules 1 and 2 for 2025/26, breakfast provision runs from 7:30am, and there is a before-school library option from 8:00am, creating a quiet runway into the day for students who benefit from arriving early.

For students who like structured curiosity, several clubs are explicitly academic or knowledge-led rather than purely recreational. “Mysteries” and “Fact Finders Book Club” are positioned as weekly problem-solving and topic exploration in the library. STEM Club is framed around building and designing using everyday materials, which tends to suit practical learners who engage best through making, not note-taking. “Globe Trotters” is a geography and culture club aimed at broadening students’ understanding of people and places.

Creative and performance opportunities also appear in the published offer. “The Actors LAB” focuses on performance skills and theatre knowledge, and there is an Art and Photography Club that includes learning DSLR camera functions, editing, and then creating paintings from photographs. That practical pipeline from capture to edit to final artwork is a strong example of enrichment that develops a portfolio, not just a one-off experience.

Sport is present in a conventional way, but with some variety. Alongside football and netball, the published programme includes trampolining and mixed rugby, which can appeal to students who prefer individual skill-building or a less traditional route into school sport. There is also an Esports club for students interested in team-based competitive gaming, which can be a meaningful engagement hook for students who do not see themselves in traditional sports.

The wider implication is clear. In a school working to improve outcomes, enrichment often doubles as attendance and engagement strategy. Students who join something they care about are more likely to show up, and students who show up are more likely to improve.

The published academy day starts at 8:30am and ends at 3:15pm most days, with a 2:00pm finish on Wednesdays. There is a daily period after 3:15pm used for enrichment and additional sessions, and GCSE students may be expected to attend beyond the standard finish time.

Breakfast club is listed from 7:30am, and the club offer includes before-school library sessions from 8:00am. For transport planning, those early starts matter, and families should map not only the morning journey but also the feasibility of late pick-ups when extra sessions apply.

Uniform expectations are clearly specified and formal, which aligns with a culture aiming for consistency and visible standards.

• Outcomes are currently weak. Progress 8 of -0.95 and lower-than-typical EBacc indicators suggest substantial improvement work is still required. Families should ask what has changed in teaching, curriculum sequencing, and intervention since the academy’s relaunch.

• Inspection evidence for the current academy is not yet published. As of 23 January 2026 there is no Ofsted report for Leigh Academy Bexley under its current registration. This increases the importance of open events, direct questions, and looking for consistent operational detail.

• History on the same site raises the bar for due diligence. The predecessor school, King Henry School, was judged Inadequate at inspection on 04 May 2022. Parents should probe behaviour systems, safeguarding processes, and staff stability carefully.

• Scale can cut both ways. A large capacity can enable breadth of courses and clubs, but it also demands strong consistency. Some students thrive in a big setting; others do better where every adult knows them quickly.

Leigh Academy Bexley is best understood as a large secondary and sixth form in active rebuild, with a clear operational structure, a published enrichment strategy, and leadership continuity since June 2023. The academic data remains a concern, so families should focus on improvement trajectory, the credibility of day-to-day routines, and the match between a child’s needs and the school’s expectations.

Who it suits: families looking for a sizeable local school with sixth form, a structured day, and an enrichment offer that can engage students beyond lessons, especially where a child responds well to clear routines and reset cycles. The main challenge is confidence in outcomes, which depends on whether the current improvement programme is translating into classroom impact.