Leigh Academy Blackheath
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Leigh Academy Blackheath is a free school in London for boys and girls aged 11 to 18. It has 1,060 pupils and room for 1,150. About 28 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 90 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 84% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2022.
Old Dover Road, Blackheath, London, SE3 8SY020 8104 0888leighacademyblackheath.org.ukMrs Emma Smith headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 13 December 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Outstanding overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
177 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Greenwich | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 177 | 177 | 178 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 55.0 | 54.0 | 47.6 | 48.7 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | +0.22 | -0.23 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 61% | 70% | 50% | 49% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 79% | 82% | 66% | 67% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 5.24 | 5.21 | 4.58 | 4.41 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 88% | 92% | 87% | 52% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 43.3 | 45.9 | 42.6 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 58.2 | 56.4 | 50.2 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 33.4 | 26.6 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 63.5 | 58.8 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 22 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Strongest subjects
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Food Preparation & Nutrition (39% here, 52% across England), Spanish (44% here, 54% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 177 | 32% | 62% | 81% | 53% | 812 of 3,211 |
| English Literature | 177 | 38% | 80% | 88% | 58% | 303 of 3,202 |
| English Language | 177 | 32% | 73% | 83% | 54% | 365 of 3,210 |
| Spanish | 156 | 13% | 44% | 64% | 54% | 1,348 of 1,941 |
| Combined Science | 113 | 16% | 56% | 72% | 36% | 343 of 3,084 |
| History | 109 | 35% | 70% | 77% | 52% | 499 of 3,126 |
| Geography | 67 | 40% | 79% | 90% | 51% | 238 of 3,116 |
| Physics | 64 | 48% | 89% | 95% | 82% | 1,158 of 2,546 |
| Chemistry | 64 | 48% | 88% | 95% | 81% | 1,228 of 2,537 |
| Biology | 64 | 36% | 86% | 98% | 82% | 1,354 of 2,570 |
| Business | 51 | 22% | 59% | 77% | 51% | 567 of 1,806 |
| Social Studies | 46 | 22% | 67% | 80% | 54% | 253 of 1,043 |
| Art and Design | 42 | 10% | 55% | 81% | 58% | 1,614 of 2,818 |
| Design & Technology | 34 | 24% | 65% | 77% | 50% | 380 of 1,478 |
| Computer Science | 34 | 29% | 74% | 79% | 56% | 426 of 1,861 |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 26 | 12% | 39% | 50% | 52% | 790 of 1,098 |
| Physical Education | 18 | 56% | 83% | 94% | 56% | – |
| Statistics | 9 | 0% | 22% | 33% | 51% | – |
| Music | 9 | 33% | 67% | 78% | 61% | – |
| Drama | 8 | 25% | 100% | 100% | 60% | – |
| Other Sciences | 7 | 14% | 71% | 86% | 67% | – |
| Other Modern Languages | 6 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 49% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
A level and sixth-form results, 2025
58 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Students | 58 |
| Average A level grade | z |
| Applied general courses: points per entry | 31.33 |
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. None of the gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
About 120 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have grown by 43% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Greenwich council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Specific learning difficulty (58), Autistic spectrum disorder (54), Other difficulty or disability (43), emotional and mental health (31), language and communications needs (25), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (13).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 1,060 | 1,035 | 959 | 895 | 718 | 536 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 26% | 26% | 23% | 20% | 18% | 13% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 17% | 17% | 16% | 17% | 18% | 16% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 18% | 21% | 10% | 9% | 12% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 4% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 6.0% | 6.7% | 8.0% | 8.4% | 4.7% | 4.2% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 3.9% | 4.0% | 3.5% | 3.9% | 2.2% | 3.0% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.1% | 2.7% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 2.4% | 1.2% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 14.2% | 18.1% | 20.4% | 25.5% | 11.3% | 9.6% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 7.3 | 11.8 | 7.7 | 7.1 | 5.6 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 178 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 85%, compared with 92% for everyone else.
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leigh Academy Halley | Academy | 0.8 miles | 987 | Report card 2025 | 83 | Compare |
| Thomas Tallis School | Council | 0.8 miles | 2,092 | Good 2024 | 39 | Compare |
| The John Roan School | Academy | 0.8 miles | 1,112 | Good 2023 | 36 | Compare |
| Ark Greenwich Free School | Free school | 1.1 miles | 615 | Outstanding 2023 | 98 | Compare |
| Royal Greenwich Trust School | Free school | 1.3 miles | 871 | Good 2022 | 19 | Compare |
| St Ursula's Convent School | Roman Catholic | 1.5 miles | 481 | Report card 2025 | 76 | Compare |
| St Matthew Academy | Academy | 1.5 miles | 1,063 | No overall grade 2025 | 85 | Compare |
| Trinity Church of England School, Lewisham | Church of England | 1.7 miles | 1,048 | Report card 2025 | 83 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Leigh Academy Blackheath with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Leigh Academy Blackheath, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twyford Church of England High School | Academy | 13.4 miles | 1,682 | Outstanding 2023 | 98 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 90 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 90% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 86 to 93. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | above | +0.15 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 177 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | well above | +0.31 | Ofsted grade, 3.8 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | above | +0.08 | DfE progress measure; 177 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | well above | +0.24 | results and attendance rising year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | above | +0.10 | 2024/25; 922 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | above | +0.06 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 177 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | in line | -0.01 | 178 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is Leigh Academy Blackheath a good school?
Yes, going by the figures. Leigh Academy Blackheath scores 90 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 84% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 86 to 93, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been getting better over the last five years.
What is Leigh Academy Blackheath's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Leigh Academy Blackheath outstanding at its last full inspection on 13 December 2022.
How good are Leigh Academy Blackheath's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 61% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 55.0, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished a little ahead of children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Leigh Academy Blackheath have?
1,060 pupils aged 11 to 18 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,150 places, so it is 92% full.
Is Leigh Academy Blackheath oversubscribed?
Probably not. 120 places were empty in 2024/25 (10% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Leigh Academy Blackheath?
Pupils were in school 94.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 14% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Leigh Academy Blackheath?
The average class had 19.9 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 21% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Leigh Academy Blackheath have a sixth form?
Yes. The average A level grade in 2025 was z.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Old Dover Road, Blackheath, London, SE3 8SY
- Telephone
- 020 8104 0888
- Website
- leighacademyblackheath.org.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Emma Smith
- Type of school
- Free school (Free schools, free schools)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-18, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- Leigh Academies Trust (33 schools)
- Local authority
- Greenwich
- Ward
- Charlton Hornfair
- Constituency
- Eltham and Chislehurst
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2018
- URN
- 145895 · LAESTAB 2034008 · UKPRN 10068128
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.