Leigh Academy Tonbridge
Brook Street, Tonbridge, TN9 2PH
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- LEIGH ACADEMIES TRUST
- Principal
- Mr Michael Crow
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Leigh Academies Trust
- Constituency
- Tonbridge
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,020
- Pupils on roll
- 807
- URN
- 136349
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01732500600
About this school
Leigh Academy Tonbridge is a secondary academy in Tonbridge. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 807 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Leigh Academy Tonbridge, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 72 | 76 | 73 |
| Attainment 8 score | 43.8 | 45.7 | 43.1 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.16 -0.18 to +0.50 | +0.07 -0.26 to +0.40 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 42% | 44.7% | 30.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 67% | 72.4% | 56.2% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 3% | 82.9% | 82.2% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.4 | 4.4 | 4.1 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Leigh Academy Tonbridge has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Kent average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 43.8 | 37.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 45.7 | 37.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 43.1 | 37.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 477 |
| 2023/24 | 585 |
| 2024/25 | 715 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Leigh Academy Tonbridge compares
Leigh Academy Tonbridge ranked 45th of 100 secondary schools in Kent for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 49% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 22% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 43.1 | 7.3% | 33% | 807 | — |
| The Judd School | 78.4 | 4.6% | 2.7% | 1,541 | 0.2 miles |
| Tonbridge Grammar School | 77.2 | 5.8% | 2.2% | 1,150 | 0.7 miles |
| Weald of Kent Grammar School | 70 | 6.8% | 4% | 1,913 | 0.9 miles |
| Hillview School for Girls | 48 | 9.7% | 16.8% | 1,500 | 1.0 miles |
| Leigh Academy Hugh Christie | 40.5 | 10.7% | 39.8% | 688 | 2.0 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 32.97%
- English as an additional language
- 9.5%
- Overall absence
- 7.34%
- Persistent absence
- 24.1%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Judd School0.2 miles
Secondary · Tonbridge
-
Tonbridge Grammar School0.7 miles
Secondary · Tonbridge
-
Weald of Kent Grammar School0.9 miles
Secondary · Tonbridge
-
Hillview School for Girls1.0 miles
Secondary · Tonbridge
-
Leigh Academy Hugh Christie2.0 miles
Secondary · Tonbridge
Other schools in Tonbridge
Leigh Academy Tonbridge ranks 5th of the 7 ranked secondary schools in Tonbridge.
- Hillview School for Girls Secondary
- Leigh Academy Hugh Christie Secondary
- Leigh Academy Mascalls Secondary
- The Judd School Secondary
- Tonbridge Grammar School Secondary
- Weald of Kent Grammar School Secondary
- Bishop Chavasse Primary School Primary
- Brenchley and Matfield Church of England Primary School Primary
- Cage Green Primary School Primary
- Capel Primary School Primary
- East Peckham Primary School Primary
- Hadlow Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Leigh Academy Tonbridge teach?
- Leigh Academy Tonbridge teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Tonbridge.
- Who is the principal of Leigh Academy Tonbridge?
- The principal of Leigh Academy Tonbridge is Mr Michael Crow, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Leigh Academy Tonbridge been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Leigh Academy Tonbridge, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Leigh Academy Tonbridge?
- Leigh Academy Tonbridge has 807 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Leigh Academy Tonbridge full?
- Leigh Academy Tonbridge has capacity for 1,020 pupils and 807 on roll (79%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Leigh Academy Tonbridge a faith school?
- No. Leigh Academy Tonbridge has no designated religious character.
- Is Leigh Academy Tonbridge a selective school?
- No. Leigh Academy Tonbridge is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Leigh Academy Tonbridge part of an academy trust?
- Leigh Academy Tonbridge is part of LEIGH ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Leigh Academy Tonbridge's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 43.8 in 2022/23 and 43.1 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Leigh Academy Tonbridge compare with other schools in Kent?
- Leigh Academy Tonbridge ranked 45th of 100 secondary schools in Kent for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 49% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 22% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Leigh Academy Tonbridge's absence rate?
- Leigh Academy Tonbridge's overall absence rate is 7.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Leigh Academy Tonbridge's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Leigh Academy Tonbridge's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.