Leigh Academy Blackheath Review 2026: Outstanding, IB-led secondary with a small-school college model

A relatively new entrant to the Greenwich secondary landscape, this academy opened in September 2018 and moved into its current building in September 2020. The defining feature is its “schools within schools” approach, three colleges designed to keep relationships close as the roll grows towards its 1,150 capacity. It is also an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, running the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), with a sixth form that opened in September 2023 and centres on IB pathways.

For families, the headline is simple: an Outstanding judgement paired with a structured, knowledge-rich curriculum and an admissions process designed to admit across the full ability range.

The academy’s culture is built around two interlocking ideas: clear values and deliberate smallness. The values are stated as Ambition, Resilience, Integrity, Respect, and Scholarship; they are presented as a common language across year groups. The “small school” element is not a slogan, it is a defined pastoral architecture: three colleges, each with its own leadership and support team, intended to make communication with families more direct and to help staff keep a close grip on progress and wellbeing.

Those colleges are named Sancho, Fawcett, and Airy, explicitly anchored in local Greenwich and Blackheath connections. Airy references Sir George Airy, associated with the prime meridian; Fawcett references Millicent Fawcett; Sancho references Ignatius Sancho, with an emphasis on education as emancipation. For students, this kind of house style can be a practical identity marker rather than a theatrical tradition. The point is not ceremony; it is structure. When it works well, it can reduce anonymity and make it easier for students to find their “people” quickly, especially in a larger secondary setting.

Leadership continuity also shapes atmosphere. Emma Smith is the Principal, and the school’s first routine inspection states that she took up post when the academy opened in September 2018. In a newer school, consistent leadership matters because routines, curriculum sequencing, and staff culture are still consolidating; stability tends to show up in calmer corridors, clearer expectations, and fewer mixed messages between staff teams.

This is a state-funded secondary, so the most relevant published indicators are GCSE outcomes and progress measures. On FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking (based on official performance data), the academy is ranked 803rd in England and 5th locally in Greenwich. That positioning places it above the England average, within the top 25% of secondary schools in England on this measure.

The underlying metrics reinforce that it is a strong performer. The academy’s Attainment 8 score is 54 and its Progress 8 score is +0.22, indicating students typically make above-average progress from their starting points across eight qualifications. The average EBacc point score is 5.21, and 35% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above across the EBacc.

A small but important contextual point is the school’s model. The college structure is explicitly intended to support tracking and barrier removal at a more “human” scale. When a school pairs that with a tightly sequenced curriculum approach, it can help to explain why progress measures are positive, particularly for students who benefit from more consistent routines and relationships.

Teaching and curriculum are framed through the International Baccalaureate lens, but not in a vague “international mindedness” way. The IB page sets out a deliberate emphasis on broad conceptual understanding, character development, and service, and it is clear that the Middle Years Programme is treated as a whole-school framework rather than an add-on.

The best evidence of the academic approach is how the inspection describes the curriculum intent. The 13 and 14 December 2022 inspection report describes a curriculum that is ambitious and carefully sequenced, with strong routines around revisiting prior learning and checking understanding so misconceptions are addressed early. It also highlights a consistent focus on vocabulary and reading, including targeted support for students who struggle with decoding or comprehension, and an annual literary festival used to promote reading.

For families, the implication is practical. A sequenced curriculum with frequent retrieval and systematic vocabulary work tends to suit students who like clarity and who benefit from explicit teaching. It can also be helpful for students joining mid-phase, because well-planned sequencing reduces the “hidden curriculum” effect where success depends on having absorbed background knowledge elsewhere.

At post-16, the academy’s sixth form, LAB16, is positioned around IB routes, with a stated offer of 20 Level 3 courses spanning academic and vocational pathways. Entry requirements are explicit: the admissions arrangements list minimum criteria for the IB Career-related Programme (five GCSEs at grade 5 or above) and for the IB Diploma Programme (six GCSEs at grade 6 or above), alongside course-specific requirements. That clarity helps families make a realistic plan early in Year 11.

Where Students Go Next

Because published destination statistics are not available in the provided dataset for this school, it is better to focus on what is explicitly stated about pathways rather than implying percentages.

The sixth form’s core proposition is an IB-led route that is designed to be both academically demanding and broader than purely examination performance, with Diploma and Career-related programmes presented as parallel options. The practical implication is choice. Students who want a traditional A-level-only environment may prefer an alternative provider; students who like breadth, structured personal development expectations, and the IB style of assessment may find this a better fit.

Careers education is also highlighted in the school’s inspection report, including employer encounters and up-to-date labour market information, which matters because it supports “Plan A and Plan B” thinking rather than treating university as the only route.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through the Royal Borough of Greenwich, with the standard timetable for September 2026 entry opening on 01 September 2025 and closing on 31 October 2025, with national offer day on 02 March 2026.

What makes this school distinct is the fair banding requirement for applicants. For 2026 to 2027 admissions, children who name the academy in their preferences are required to sit the Leigh Academies Trust South East London fair banding test, described as a non-verbal reasoning paper. The school is explicit that it is not a pass or fail test; the purpose is to allocate children into five equally sized ability bands, after which oversubscription criteria are applied within each band. A supplementary form is also required to be completed by the same 31 October 2025 deadline to secure a test invitation.

Demand is high. For the main admissions route there were 1,289 applications for 170 offers, and the school is described as oversubscribed, with an applications-to-offers ratio of 7.58. This is the core reality check for families: even with banding designed to create an intake across the ability spectrum, competition is significant.

For parents weighing options, this is a scenario where tools like FindMySchool’s Map Search and comparison features can be genuinely useful, not for gaming admissions, but for sanity-checking how different local options compare on outcomes, distance rules, and demand levels before the deadline.

The pastoral model is structured around the college system, intended to make relationships and support more immediate. The inspection report describes students as happy and safe, with adults available to talk to if worried, and older pupils actively supporting younger ones through that structure. It also indicates that bullying is not common and that issues are addressed quickly when they occur.

SEND practice is framed around an Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle aligned with the SEND Code of Practice, with support described across universal, targeted, and specialist levels. For families, the key practical question is not whether a school has a policy, but whether classroom teaching is adapted effectively and whether support is coordinated across subjects. The inspection report describes highly effective adaptations and a curriculum expectation that includes pupils with SEND rather than separating them from ambitious content.

The latest Ofsted report (inspection dates 13 and 14 December 2022, published 08 February 2023) rated the academy Outstanding across all inspected areas.

The best evidence here is the level of specificity in published club schedules and subject enrichment expectations. The club offer is organised in “modules”, and club lists show a mix that goes beyond generic sport-only provision.

Named examples include Dungeons and Dragons, Debate Club or Debate Society, KS3 Code Club, Chess Club, Creative Writing Club, Art Club, and STEAM Club. There is also a practical blend of academic support and enrichment, with options like English Homework Club, Mathematics Homework Club, and Design Technology Homework Club appearing alongside performance and sport.

Music is also treated as a structured offer, with instrumental lessons listed across piano, guitar, clarinet, flute, saxophone, trumpet, violin, brass options, drum kit, and voice. Clubs documentation and subject pages reference ensembles and performance routes, including orchestra, musical theatre, and music tech style opportunities.

For students, the implication is that enrichment is not only about participation badges. Debate and coding support structured thinking; creative writing and musical theatre support confidence and communication; instrumental lessons and ensembles build discipline and teamwork. For parents, the value is often pastoral as much as it is skill-based: clubs are where friendship groups form across year groups and across the college structure.

The academy day is clearly set out. Students must be on site by 08:30, with the day ending at 15:15 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and a shorter day ending at 14:00 on Wednesday to allow for staff professional development.

Transport and site logistics are also explicit. In a published start-of-year communication, the school advises students to travel by public transport, walk, or cycle; it states that there is limited parking and no vehicle access for drop-off or collection, and it notes bicycle racks on site (students provide their own locks).

Wraparound care is generally not a feature of secondary schools in the same way it is for primaries; where families need supervised early-morning or late-day arrangements, it is sensible to verify what is available for the relevant year group, particularly for Year 7 students who may not yet be independent travellers.

• Competition for places. Demand is high, with 1,289 applications for 170 offers ’s main entry route, and an applications-to-offers ratio of 7.58. Families should plan early and include realistic alternative preferences.

• The fair banding requirement. Applicants who name the school must sit the fair banding test and complete the supplementary form by 31 October 2025 for September 2026 entry. This is manageable, but it adds an extra step that some families miss when they focus only on the local authority form.

• IB as a whole-school frame. The IB MYP influences curriculum language and approach, and post-16 routes are explicitly IB pathways with stated entry thresholds. Students who strongly prefer a more traditional A-level-only environment should compare sixth form options early.

• Travel and access at peak times. The school states there is no vehicle access for drop-off and collection due to limited parking and safety considerations. Families who rely on car travel will need a workable alternative routine.

This is an Outstanding-rated, oversubscribed Greenwich secondary with a deliberately engineered small-school structure and an IB-led curriculum identity. The college model, the clarity of routines, and the breadth of enrichment are coherent rather than decorative, and the sixth form’s IB routes have transparent entry thresholds.

It suits students who respond well to clear expectations, who benefit from a defined pastoral “home base”, and who are open to the IB approach through Key Stage 3 and into post-16 options. The main constraint is admission competition; securing entry is where the difficulty lies.