Leigh Academies Trust is the Admissions Authority of the Academy. Applications for places will be made in accordance with the London Borough of Bexley co-ordinated admissions scheme and timetable. 

Leigh Academy Bexley has an agreed published admission number of 250 for entry into Year 7 for the year 2023/24. 

Process of Application 

To apply for a place at Leigh Academy Bexley, an applicant must apply through the home Local Authority, in accordance with the Co-ordinated Planned Admission scheme. 

Consideration of applications 

All applications for places will be considered. Where fewer applications are received than the agreed admissions number, the academy will offer places to all those who have applied. 

Requests for admission outside of the normal age group should be made to the Principal as early as possible before the start of the academic year in which you wish your child to start. This allows the academy and admissions authority sufficient time to make a decision before the closing date. Parents are not expected to provide evidence to support their request, however, where provided it must be specific to the child in question and may include medical or Educational Psychologist reports. There is no legal requirement for this medical or educational evidence to be secured from an appropriate professional, however, failure to provide this may impede the academy’s ability to agree to a request for admission outside of the normal age group. Parents are required to complete an application for the normal point of entry at the same time, in case their request is declined. Applications must be made to the Local Authority, with written confirmation from the academy Principal attached. Applications will be processed in the same way as all applications for the cohort in the following admissions round, and offers will be made in accordance with the academy’s oversubscription criteria. 

Procedures where the Academy is oversubscribed 

Applications for places at the academy will be considered as follows: 

Before the application of oversubscription criteria the following groups will be admitted: 

• Children with a Statement of Special Education Need for Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) that names Leigh Academy Bexley. 
• Looked after children or previously looked after children, including those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a Local Authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see definition in section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989). A previously looked after child is a child who was adopted, or subject to a Child Arrangement Order, or special guardianship order, immediately following having been looked after.

1. Acute Medical/Social Needs
   Medical, health, social and special access reasons will be applied in accordance with Leigh Academy Bexley’s legal obligations, in particular those under the Equality Act 2010. Priority will be given to those children whose mental or physical impairment means they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend Leigh Academy Bexley. Equally this priority will apply to children whose parents’/guardians’ physical or mental health or social needs mean that they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend the Academy. Such claims will need to be supported by written evidence from a suitably qualified, independent registered medical or other practitioner, at the time of original application, who can demonstrate a special connection between these needs and Leigh Academy Bexley.
2. Admission of students whose siblings currently attend the academy and who will continue to do so at the time of entry. For this criterion brother or sister means children who live as brother and sister in the same house, including natural brothers or sisters, adopted siblings, step brothers or sisters, foster brothers or sisters. Children residing in the same households as part of an extended family, such as cousins, will not be treated as siblings. If siblings from multiple births (twins, triplets, etc.) apply for the Academy and the Academy would reach its Published Admission Number (PAN) after admitting one or more, but before admitting all of those siblings, the Academy will offer a place to each of the siblings, even if doing so takes the Academy above its PAN. The Academy reserves the right to ask for proof of relationship.
3. Distance
   Distance from home to the Academy is measured electronically using a computerised mapping system. This system measures a straight line from a single fixed point in the centre of the home address to the centre of the Academy. If more than one applicant lives in a multi-occupancy building (e.g. flats) priority will be given to the applicant whose door number is the lowest numerically and/or alphabetically.The home address is considered to be where the child resides as their only or principal residence. Proof of liability for Council Tax will be required. If the child resides equally between both parents, the principal home address will be considered as being the address at which the child is registered whilst attending primary school, with a GP and, if applicable, the address of the parent who is in receipt of Child Benefit or Child Tax Credits for the child. For children who reside with a relative or carer other than a parent, a residence order or other court order will be required.

Tie breaker 

In the event that two or more applicants have equal right to a place under any of the above criteria, priority will be given to those who live nearest to the academy. Should two applicants live an equal distance from the academy, the offer of a place will be decided by random allocation. 

In Year Admissions 

Applicants applying for a place at Leigh Academy Bexley need to apply directly to the local authority (London Borough of Bexley) using their prescribed form. The process regarding children admitted via Fair Access Panel will be in line with Bexley Local Authority’s published arrangements. 

Post-16 at Leigh Academy Bexley

Sixth Form Admissions 

Sixth Form is an inclusive community to which the Academy welcomes applications from students from any background looking to study in a supportive and caring environment. 

Before application of the oversubscription criteria, children with a Statement of Special Educational Need or Education, Health and Care Plan which names Leigh Academy Bexley will be admitted. 

Sixth Form (Year 12 & 13) Published Admission Number: 300 places. 

In the event of oversubscription the following criteria will be taken into account. 

• Priority is given to students who have previously been attending Leigh Academy Bexley;
• Applicants that have achieved all required grades for the subjects identified in their application form, as detailed in the Sixth Form prospectus; 
• Applicants who have attended the summer term orientation/induction day.
• Applicants who submitted applications before the 31st January 2023.
• Nearness of the applicant’s home. The academy will use the distance between the child’s permanent home address and the main entrance of the Academy building, measured in a straight line. The same point on the Academy site is used for every applicant.

If 150 or more students from within Leigh Academy Bexley meet the admissions criteria and wish to enter Year 12 of the Sixth Form, no external applicants will be considered. 

Where there are more external applicants for any available Sixth Form places than places available, after the admission of students with special educational needs where the Academy is named on the statement, the oversubscription criteria above will be applied to determine who is admitted. There will be a right of appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel for unsuccessful applicants, whether they are internal or external applicants. 

Application Procedure 

1. All potential applicants are invited to attend Open Evenings in the autumn term prior to admission year. 
2. All applicants should complete and submit an application form to the academy by the 31st January 2023. 
3. Applicants will be invited to discuss their curriculum choices with a senior member of staff to establish whether a suitable programme of study course is available to them. This discussion does not form part of the decision making process on whether to offer a place. 
4. An offer will be made on the condition that the applicant achieves the examination grades required for enrolment onto each of the courses which they have chosen (these can be found within the Sixth Form Prospectus). 
5. Applicants holding conditional offers will be invited to attend an orientation day in the summer term. 
6. Where candidates have achieved the required grades enrolment will take place in August following publication of the GCSE results. 
7. Application forms will be available at the open evenings and can be found on the Academy website: www.leighacademybexley.org.uk

Students who wish to apply for Leigh Academy Bexley Sixth Form should apply to the Academy directly.