I am very privileged to be the Principal of Leigh Academy Bexley. Our vision is that regardless of background and regardless of their starting point, students will leave us as kind, resilient, independent learners with the right behaviour and attitudes to ensure continuous progress and achievement, ready for the next stage of their education and beyond. We want our students to be successful in their chosen careers, in their relationships and in their interaction with the world. We aspire for Leigh Academy Bexley to be a highly effective and truly inclusive school, reflecting the vibrant, diverse, and dynamic community that we serve. We believe in connecting with our local community and championing our local area.
We believe in providing our young people with an education; one that unlocks curiosity, ignites ambition, and forges a social conscience, equipping our students with the tools they need to have an impact on the world around them. Our teachers lead with professionalism and scholarship; they are experts in their field. All of us are part of a warm and caring family of staff, Governors and Trust colleagues who have the highest ambition and a deep hunger to learn. Our staff receives regular, first-class training to achieve mastery of their craft, amazing support to flourish every day, and a sense of shared moral purpose about the best job in the world.
Our vision is that regardless of background and regardless of their starting point, students will leave us as kind, resilient, independent learners with the right behaviour and attitudes to ensure continuous progress and achievement, ready for the next stage of their education and beyond. We want our students to be successful in their chosen careers, in their relationships and in their interaction with the world. We aspire for Leigh Academy Bexley to be a highly effective and truly inclusive school, reflecting the vibrant, diverse, and dynamic community that we serve. We believe in connecting with our local community and championing our local area.
At Leigh Academy Bexley, we believe in providing our young people with an extraordinary education; one that unlocks curiosity, ignites ambition and forges a social conscience, enabling our students to have an impact on the world around them. We are proud to be a truly comprehensive school; a school where all students are valued, supported and inspired. For students to thrive, we need to ensure that every student and staff member is invested in our community, that everyone is included and respected. As such we place inclusivity at the heart of our decision-making. Our values are based upon the belief that we are all deserving of respect and that as part of a wider community we are obliged to show respect and consideration to others.
By applying to Leigh Academy Bexley, you also become part of Leigh Academies Trust.
The Trust was formed in 2008 with the linking of the Leigh Technology Academy and Longfield Academy under one governing body. Today, we encompass more than 20,000 students between the ages of 2 months and 19 in 33 primary, secondary and special academies including one all-through academy and one grammar school.
Our Curriculum
Ensuring that all members of the academy community learn and progress is a priority at Leigh Academy Bexley. We want all our students, whatever their starting point, to succeed. The Curriculum offered for all our students is rich, broad, balanced and ambitious and provides them with an opportunity to study a wide range of different subjects. The curriculum has been designed with the end in mind, ensuring that skills and knowledge are mapped across all key stages.
In addition, we have made provision for our students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, so as to promote a tolerance towards, and a respect for, the different faiths, lifestyles and cultures of other people which prepares our students to be global citizens. This is delivered through our PSHE tutor time programme from Year 7 to Year 13 which enables students to develop as a whole person and prepare them for their next steps. This is built on and driven by our core academy values of: respect, politeness, kindness, courage, ambition and resilience.
Key Stage 3 (KS3) students can expect to study a wide selection of differing subjects, exposing them to a broad base of knowledge that is challenging and appropriate to each student’s ability. In addition to English, Mathematics and Science, all Key Stage 3 students study Art, Drama, Music, History, Geography, French or Spanish, PE, Technology, and ICT. We believe in, and deliver, a rigorous academic curriculum but we also believe in developing the Arts and Practical Creative subjects.
Key Stage 4 (KS4) students can choose from a range of GCSE and vocational courses. They are encouraged to maintain a broad and balanced selection to ensure they have a sound base for further study, equipping them with the qualifications, knowledge and skills they will need to lead a successful and fulfilling adult life. Whilst all students will study GCSEs in English, Mathematics and Science, students and families will be taken through a guided process so that an informed decision can be made with confidence about the options your child wishes to make for Year 10 and 11.
We want our students at Leigh Academy Bexley to join us at the beginning of a seven year journey. We are rebuilding and rebranding our sixth form, where over the next two years we will be offering a range of subjects and courses, as well as introducing the International Baccalaureate Careers Programme (IBCP) and T Levels. We are building relationships with local business and education institutes to ensure we are able to give our students access to a variety of labour market information and opportunities for their future. This, combined with extracurricular activities and personal development programmes, helps enhance applications to universities and future employers. We ensure that all our students receive specialist support in terms of careers, future training and informed university choices, including a substantial guidance programme for UCAS applications. We are very excited about the future of our Post 16 and we are confident that we can serve our students with a broad and interesting curriculum.
A curriculum that delivers an education of excellence for all. The Leigh Academy Bexley aims to equip students with the knowledge, skills and experiences so that they can play an active and informed role in modern 21st Century Britain.
We believe passionately in the mastery of the core within a broad, balanced and coherent curriculum that develops the whole child holistically.
The curriculum is shaped by, and deeply rooted in, the strongest available evidence about how students learn and retain knowledge in the long term. We value the uniqueness of each subject we offer. We are committed to students engaging deeply and comprehensively with both substantive and disciplinary knowledge so that they achieve strong outcomes throughout each phase of the curriculum. From September 2023, the Middle Years Programme (MYP), a two year Key Stage 4 and the International Baccalaureate Careers Programme (IBCP) will develop in The Leigh Academy Bexley students the confidence in managing their own learning and making connections between their learning in the classroom and the real world.
Our curriculum prepares students to lead fulfilling and successful adult lives: inquisitive, articulate and internationally engaged, our students are defined by their boundless thirst for knowledge, self-improvement and learning.
We have a deliberately planned and sequenced 7 year curriculum journey. We have identified and considered the knowledge, skills and values that enable academic excellence and develop quality of character. Directors of Learning and teachers then plan backwards from this point, to ensure that at each phase of their journey they receive a rigorous, coherently and intelligently sequenced curriculum.
Our robust assessment practices carry real meaning: they explicitly challenge the misconceptions of students, so that our lessons are unapologetically focused on removing the barriers to learning for all learners.
Students have deep and substantive knowledge precisely because this is deliberately planned, honed and mastered. Our schemes of learning are interleaved, providing ample and timely opportunities to purposefully practise skills and retain knowledge in the long term.
We strive towards our students increasingly making progress at or above national standards. We do this precisely because they have engaged deeply and meaningfully with a broad and balanced range of diverse and challenging academic and vocational disciplines. Students can make informed post-18 decisions, most suited to their interests, abilities and future career goals due to the quality of the qualifications and character development they have received at our academy.
Our schedule of assessment, throughout each module, ensures that student progress is regularly monitored and reviewed. Additional support and intervention can be swiftly put in place if necessary with extension work provided for those who have made exceptional progress.
Parents receive their child’s progress report in line with their qualifications specification. In Key Stage 3, 4 and 5 students receive three progress reports per year.
For more information on our curriculum, please visit our dedicated page.
Our colleges are named after national parks: Knole, Petworth, Richmond, Holkham and Woburn (sixth form).
At Leigh Academy Bexley students join one of the five small colleges, each with a team of staff, dedicated to helping them reach their full potential. The college communities are vertical and have students in tutor groups according to their year group; allocation is not determined by academic performance.
The entire Academy community, including the sixth form, has regular small college assemblies to share whole Academy messages and values. Students’ personal development is also promoted through amazing life experiences which are part of a wide range of enriching extracurricular clubs, cultural activities and our Values curriculum.
An increasingly broad programme of extra-curricular opportunities is offered to all students, extending the curriculum beyond the classroom and providing students with increased confidence and building resilience. We aim to enhance the life chances of every student, an ambition which goes beyond exams and league tables alone.
Our small college approach ensures that every student is known, understood and valued as an individual. Four colleges are made up of students from Years 7-11 and students are in a tutor group within their own year. Our sixth form students have their own dedicated small college.
Each small college has approximately 260 students, its own Head of College, two Deputy Heads of College, two Heads of Year, two Student Support Managers, a College Administrator and a dedicated team of tutors. Every student is set challenging targets and all of the colleges are comprehensive in their makeup.
Students form a strong relationship with their tutor as a first point of contact. Students meet their tutors every day and there is a well-planned programme for tutor time which includes assemblies, housekeeping, values and sex and relationships education alongside a well-structured careers, advice and guidance scheme.
Our colleges form strong relationships with students and families and are a source of both academic and pastoral support. They are the first port of call for any individual and families value having a specific named contact for communication.
Mary Seacole was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1805. Mary’s mother had an interest in herbal medicines, and passed this knowledge on to Mary. In 1850, Kingston was hit by a cholera epidemic, and Mary used herbal medicines to fight this disease, as well as an outbreak of yellow fever. Her fame as a nurse quickly grew, and she was soon carrying out operations on soldiers injured in war. When Mary heard about the cholera outbreak during the Crimean war, she wanted to help, and travelled to London. However, her help was refused. Undeterred, Mary used her own money to travel to Crimea and treated patients on the battlefield.
David Attenborough is a broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author, who is well known for presenting many documentaries about the natural world. As a child, he was very interested in animals, and spent lots of time hunting for fossils. He went on to study Natural Sciences at Cambridge, and received his Masters degree in 1947. He is a great communicator, educator and campaigner, and is one of the most travelled people in history, having visited every continent on Earth. He is the oldest person to have been to the North Pole, and has 10 species of plants and animals named after him.
He has narrated many wildlife documentaries, such as “Life on Earth” and “Blue Planet.”
Student Life
Awards and Praise
Our awards system recognises and rewards student achievements, small college achievements, local community achievements and encourages students to exceed their targets. We celebrate our students’ achievements through parental emails, small college assemblies, year group assemblies, through subject recognition, breakfast with the Principal and parents/ carers as well as reward vouchers. It is important that students are recognised for a variety of positives, not just the academic, to ensure that all can achieve.
Uniform
At Leigh Academy Bexley, we believe that high expectations and standards around uniform, conduct and appearance form the basis for students to show pride in their learning, in their academy and in themselves. As a result, students strive to achieve the highest standards academically, thus securing the best life chances.
The uniform is differentiated with colours of each small college shown on the academy tie.
Our Sixth Form students wear business attire in order to ensure a professional and mature approach to their studies in addition to being the academy’s inspirational role models.
Digital Learning
Leigh Academies Trust’s vision to transform lives and enable every member of the Trust’s family to thrive in an ever-changing world is borne through our commitment to develop powerful digital citizens of the future.
We recognise that the development of independent learning habits is critical to student success and that by having access to digital technology students can use the varied learning tools and online resources available to help them realise their full potential. Students are introduced to a variety of programmes, tools and platforms throughout their educational journey that will enable them to enhance their learning both inside and outside of the classroom. We understand the importance of being digitally literate in our current world and therefore we are committed to equipping students with the necessary knowledge and skills to lead in the digital world.
Students enjoy using their Chromebook to support their studies and stimulate further research and wider learning
Home Learning
As part of our ongoing commitment to providing our students with the very best learning experiences, we set high-quality and meaningful homework tasks each week.
Our approach to teaching at the academy is shaped by the most recent evidence about how students learn best. Research shows that students benefit academically when they engage in completing homework in a sustained and successful manner: recapping learning from their lessons; increasing the likelihood of embedding knowledge in their longterm memory; applying their learning to extended practice; and affording the opportunity to explore topics which builds upon their classroom-based learning. In addition, the completion of homework helps students develop their skills as inquisitive, organised, independent and disciplined thinkers.
Each student’s physical classroom is mirrored by a Google Classroom, where they can access resources remotely to complete home learning tasks that will accelerate their progress. Parents/carers can monitor their child’s engagement with their homework through the Google Guardian application.
Enrichment and Extracurricular Opportunities
Extracurricular activities have a positive impact on academic success and our enrichment programme which runs in the morning, lunchtime and after school goes beyond academic, technical, and vocational pursuits. Our programme promotes students’ overall development by allowing them to explore and discover their interests and talents. We ensure that we provide clubs that increase an understanding of how to stay physically healthy, eat healthily, and live an active lifestyle, and we provide ample opportunities for students to be active during the school day. Our extra-curricular activities range from craft clubs, sports clubs, to chess clubs.
All parents/carers and students are signed up to SOCs, which allows parents and students to register for the activities in which they are interested. This up-to-date information allows parents to see where their child is each day, knowing that they are engaged in an extracurricular club.
Our Year 11 and 13 students receive additional learning periods four times per week through the academy’s extended lesson programme. Our teaching staff are committed to providing every possible learning opportunity for these year groups within lessons and outside of the timetable. We offer before and after school study support sessions for our students to support them with their learning.
Special Educational Needs
We understand that each student has different learning needs and experiences, but they must always have the same opportunities. Leigh Academy Bexley’s goal is to always act quickly to identify undiagnosed needs and always support students with SEND needs. Our digital curriculum, which includes Chromebooks for students and an incredible team of learning support assistant, has removed barriers for children, laying the groundwork for this successful approach. We make every effort to ensure students with SEND thrive and grow in confidence alongside the rest of our community.
Open Days and Tours
September 2025 Intake
We cannot wait to show you around Leigh Academy Bexley. Coming for a tour will enable you to see learning in action and ask any questions you may have.
More information on our Open Events and Tours of our Year 7 classes will be added soon, check back later.
Applying to Leigh Academy Bexley
September 2025 Intake
For more information on how to apply to Leigh Academy Bexley, please look at our dedicated Admissions page
