Leigh Academy Strood

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 9 June 2026

Pupils are proud to attend Leigh Academy Strood. They speak passionately about the care and support they receive from staff. Pastoral leaders in each 'college' help pupils to feel a real sense of belonging. Pupils are highly respectful of staff. They are enthusiastic about how the improvements in teaching and behaviour have created a vibrant, inclusive community. One pupil said, 'I love everything about this school.' This view is typical of many. Pupils are safe and happy. They behave with integrity and manage their own behaviour incredibly well during social times. Lessons are calm. Pupils are highly attentive and display positive attitudes to learning. They are keen to do well and know that any distractions in the classroom will not be tolerated. Pupils enjoy their learning and want to be here. They are kind to each other and celebrate what makes each of them different. This means that bullying is rare. Should it occur, pupils are confident that staff will deal with it swiftly. Pupils attend well, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils benefit from a challenging yet exciting curriculum. Their teachers help them to develop resilience through their learning. Pupils typically achieve well from their starting points, including disadvantaged pupils. Pupils with SEND, including those in the specially resourced provision, achieve very well. Pupils develop secure knowledge and skills across the curriculum. This means pupils are well prepared for their next steps in education, employment or training. Pupils embrace the range of wider opportunities available to them. They thrive in clubs such as those for board games, sports, the performing arts, karaoke, gym, mindfulness and crafts. Pupils develop their leadership skills through participation in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme. The experiences available to pupils enable them to fully embody the school's values. They develop into respectful, resilient, kind and inquisitive individuals who are well prepared for life beyond the school.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should sustain the highly effective and embedded approaches to teaching so that all pupils achieve well in national examinations, including students at post-16.

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