The St Leonards Academy Review 2026: Large Coastal Secondary in a Rapid Improvement Phase

Big schools can feel anonymous or brilliantly organised, the difference is usually clarity of routines, consistency of teaching, and how quickly leaders can remove barriers to learning. The St Leonards Academy is a large, mixed 11 to 16 secondary in St Leonards-on-Sea, part of the University of Brighton Academies Trust, with a published Year 7 admissions number of 300 for September 2026 entry.

The most important context for families is the current improvement journey. The January 2025 Ofsted inspection graded quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management as Inadequate, and placed the academy in special measures. A monitoring visit in September 2025 reported progress, while confirming more work is required before the academy can be judged no longer to require special measures.

Leadership is structured across trust and academy roles. Jon Francies is named as principal and, in the academy’s governance information, is described as lead principal since May 2021.

This is an academy that puts a lot of weight on routines, shared language, and codified expectations. The behaviour and rewards approach links recognition to a set of “virtues” and uses an internal rewards currency called pride pounds, with periodic auctions referenced in transition information for new families. That kind of system can work well for students who respond to clear feedback loops and tangible recognition, especially in a large setting where staff need scalable ways to reinforce expectations.

Student voice is also formalised rather than informal. A Student Parliament model is described, with tutor-group representatives, plus a Head Student Team and structured leadership platforms through enrichment. For families who want their child to build confidence through responsibility, this can be a meaningful route, particularly when paired with a coherent pastoral structure.

The pastoral picture is not presented as a single programme, it is a set of supports. Student wellbeing information lists multiple services, including targeted support and early intervention options, alongside a nurture strand. The most helpful way to interpret this is practical: it suggests the academy is building a menu of support routes rather than relying on one generic approach.

Performance measures indicate that outcomes are currently challenging and align with a school working through significant improvement priorities.

For GCSE outcomes, the academy is ranked 3,756th in England and 2nd locally in St. Leonards-on-Sea in the FindMySchool rankings (based on official data). This places it below England average overall, within the bottom 40% of ranked schools in England.

The attainment measures reinforce that picture. The academy’s Attainment 8 score is 30.7, and the Progress 8 score is -1.22, which indicates students, on average, achieved substantially lower than similar students nationally. In EBacc subjects, 70% achieved grade 5 or above, while the EBacc average point score is 2.49.

The point for parents is not the labels, it is the implication. A negative Progress 8 of this magnitude usually means the most urgent work is consistency: stronger classroom routines, better attendance, and better sequencing of learning so that fewer students fall behind and stay behind.

Parents comparing local options should use the FindMySchool Local Hub page to view GCSE indicators side by side using the Comparison Tool, rather than relying on anecdotes.

The curriculum narrative emphasises breadth and a structured approach to personal development alongside academic subjects. One useful detail is that students in Years 7 to 9 have religion and philosophy lessons, with content covering multiple faiths and worldviews, and ethics is explicitly referenced as part of what is taught. For families who value structured discussion of beliefs, values, and contemporary issues, that can be a positive feature in a mixed community setting.

Personal development is treated as an organised programme rather than assemblies alone. The curriculum information describes tutor-time discussion themes, explicit coverage of topics such as mental health, and a framework of teams with named team identities used for incentives and belonging. In a large secondary school, those structures matter because they reduce the risk that support becomes inconsistent between year groups.

For students who need additional support, the academy describes a graduated response to needs and a specialist facility, The Cove, for students with physical disabilities and students with autism spectrum diagnoses who have an Education, Health and Care Plan. The key implication is that inclusion is intended to be planned and resourced, not improvised.

Where Students Go Next

With no sixth form on site, post 16 planning becomes a core part of the Year 10 to Year 11 experience. The most recent inspection documentation confirms the academy meets the provider access requirements, which is relevant for families who want students to understand apprenticeship and technical routes alongside A-level pathways.

There is also evidence of practical careers scaffolding, including a dedicated Careers Corner initiative described in trust news. For many families, this matters because the best destinations are often built through simple habits: earlier exposure to options, structured guidance on applications, and realistic planning for grades.

Because destination percentages are not provided for this school, it is sensible to treat destinations as highly individual. Parents should ask how the academy supports applications to sixth form colleges, FE colleges, and apprenticeship pathways, and how it supports students whose attendance or behaviour has disrupted learning, as these students often need additional guidance to secure a strong next step.

Year 7 admission is coordinated through East Sussex, rather than applying directly to the academy for the normal admissions round. For 2026 to 27 entry, the academy publishes the following timeline: applications open in September 2025; closing date 31 October 2025; late applications with good reason by 31 January 2026; national offer day 2 March 2026; induction in the summer term 2026.

The admissions arrangements for 2026 to 27 confirm a published admissions number of 300 for September 2026 and describe a distance-only model rather than a catchment area model, with distance measured as a straight line home to academy, and random allocation used if two applicants cannot be separated for the final place.

Demand indicates competition for places. For the most recent year shown, there were 425 applications for 282 offers, which equates to 1.51 applications per place, and the school is listed as oversubscribed for that route.

Because the dataset does not provide a last distance offered figure for this school, families should not assume proximity guarantees entry. Use the FindMySchool Map Search to check your home-to-school distance precisely, then validate how the academy is applying distance this year, as admissions patterns can shift.

In a school in special measures, parents should focus on the practical safeguards that help students learn: consistent routines, clear anti-bullying processes, and predictable responses to poor behaviour, because these determine whether classrooms are calm enough for progress.

The inspection report indicates that most pupils said they feel safe, while also highlighting concerns raised by some pupils and parents about how effectively bullying is dealt with, and notes that derogatory language was reported as too common, affecting some students’ comfort around sexuality and religious beliefs. The academy’s own documentation points to a structured approach to relationships and expectations, including guidance about conduct on public transport and uniform expectations designed to reduce social pressure.

On the support side, student wellbeing information lists multiple strands, including early intervention support and targeted programmes for emotional wellbeing. The SEND information describes access to small-group literacy and numeracy support, speech and language programmes, social skills groups, occupational therapy programmes, and specialist equipment where appropriate.

The academy frames extracurricular participation as part of its character curriculum and states that, each academic year, all students are given the opportunity to attend at least one trip. Published examples of ongoing trips include a KS3 Disneyland Paris visit, a Year 7 pantomime trip, a KS4 ski trip, a Poland trip, and a Lille Christmas markets trip. Trips like these can be more than “nice to have” for teenagers, they often improve attendance and belonging for students who do not immediately connect with classroom learning.

The club offer is also specific rather than generic. A published timetable includes Debate Club, Design Club, Careers Club, IT Club, Rock Club, Film Club, PRIDE Club, Chess Club, DnD Club, World War 2 Club, Drama Club, and Duke of Edinburgh for Years 9 and 10. For sport, the curriculum information references regular after-school clubs including futsal, table tennis, climbing, basketball, rugby, and trampolining, plus participation in local competitions across multiple sports.

There is also evidence of inclusive creative work linked to The Cove. Trust news describes a partnership with Hastings Contemporary connected to The Cove, including the Arts Award Bronze Programme for students in Years 7 to 10 with SEND profiles. For some students, that kind of structured, externally linked project is exactly what turns school from something they endure into something they participate in.

The published school day expects students on site at 8.30am and finishes at 3.00pm. Breakfast club is listed as beginning at 8.00am, with after-school activities finishing by 4.15pm.

Uniform expectations are explicit, with a clear list of required items and a limited grace period when something cannot be worn, alongside a uniform support scheme. For travel, behaviour guidance includes expectations for conduct on buses and trains, which suggests that public transport is a common part of the daily routine for many students.

Inset day closures are published through East Sussex, which is useful for families planning childcare around term time.

• Special measures context. The academy is in special measures following the January 2025 inspection, and while a September 2025 monitoring visit noted progress, improvement is still a work in progress. This is most relevant for families who need high predictability and calm classroom culture from day one.

• Behaviour, attendance, and bullying concerns. Official findings highlight that attendance and behaviour improvements were not yet effective at the time of inspection, and bullying confidence was raised as a concern by some pupils and parents. Families should ask specifically what has changed since 2025, and how consistency is being secured across year groups.

• A very large student body. With capacity for 1,500 students, the academy can offer breadth, but some children prefer smaller settings where staff know them quickly. Capacity and structure mean transition support and pastoral follow-through matter.

• Admissions are competitive and distance-led. The academy is oversubscribed and the admissions arrangements describe distance-only allocation rather than a catchment model. Families should be realistic about admission odds if living further away.

The St Leonards Academy is best understood as a large community secondary in a focused improvement phase, with clear structures for routines, student leadership, and extracurricular engagement, including some unusually specific clubs and trips for a school of this size. The deciding factor for most families will be confidence in the pace of change since 2025, and whether the current leadership and trust support are translating into calmer classrooms and stronger learning habits. It suits students who benefit from structured expectations, enjoy organised enrichment, and have families ready to stay closely engaged with attendance, behaviour, and progress through Years 7 to 11.