Leigh Academy Halley

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 11 November 2025

As soon as they join Leigh Academy Halley, pupils of all ages and from all backgrounds are welcomed, nurtured, challenged and supported. They feel safe, attend very well, and thrive throughout their time at the school. They are highly motivated by their lessons and by the extensive range of enrichment activities on offer. As a result of high-quality teaching and learning, pupils make strong gains from their starting points. They are extremely well prepared for their next steps. Leaders and staff get to know the pupils exceedingly well as individuals. They take their roles very seriously in safeguarding pupils' well-being as well as their physical safety in school and beyond. From Year 7 to Year 13, leaders make sure that pupils' individual needs are identified early and accurately assessed by highly skilled and vigilant staff. Support, adjustments and adaptations are tailored precisely to pupils' specific needs. This means that barriers to pupils' learning and well-being are skilfully reduced, to great effect. The 'small school' system ensures that every pupil is exceptionally well known by staff. This system has a powerful impact on making sure that all pupils feel a strong sense of belonging and flourish academically, socially and emotionally. Pupils have exceedingly positive relationships with staff and their peers. The school's 'values' lessons make a huge difference to pupils' character, sense of belonging and readiness for later life. Pupils consistently demonstrate respect and tolerance for others alongside kind and caring attitudes. Student leaders, heroes and ambassadors act as superb role models. Leaders and staff organise popular cultural outings, inspiring residential journeys and extra-curricular clubs that deeply enrich pupils' learning. Pupils' behaviour and attitudes to learning are exemplary. They settle exceptionally quickly to learning at the start of lessons. They conduct themselves maturely around the school during breaktimes, lunchtimes and class change-over times. As such, bullying is very rare and dealt with swiftly when it does occur.

What the school should improve

• Leaders and those responsible for governance should sustain their transformational work in inclusion, attendance and behaviour, personal development and post-16 provision, and extend this work further so that it has a similar exceptional impact on curriculum, teaching and achievement for all pupils.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)