Darlinghurst Academy
Pavilion Drive, Leigh-on-Sea, SS9 3JS
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- LEGRA ACADEMY TRUST
- Chief Executive Officer
- Mrs Emma Nicholls
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Legra Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Southend West and Leigh
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 630
- Pupils on roll
- 547
- URN
- 140536
- Local authority
- Southend-on-Sea
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01702478379
About this school
Darlinghurst Academy is a primary academy in Leigh-on-Sea. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 547 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Darlinghurst Academy, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 29 January 2025, where inspectors found the school has improved significantly. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 89 | 82 | 62 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 68% | 82% | 68% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 11% | 5% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 75% | 94% | 73% |
| Expected standard in maths | 83% | 87% | 74% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 74% | 88% | 65% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 108.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +3.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.50 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Darlinghurst Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Southend-on-Sea average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 68% | 57.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 82% | 58.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 68% | 59.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 523 |
| 2023/24 | 561 |
| 2024/25 | 550 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Darlinghurst Academy compares
Darlinghurst Academy ranked 8th of 27 primary schools in Southend-on-Sea for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 61% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 69% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 68% | 4.6% | 25.7% | 547 | — |
| Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School | 59% | 4.3% | 6% | 464 | 0.2 miles |
| Chalkwell Hall Infant School | — | 4% | 8.9% | 321 | 0.4 miles |
| Chalkwell Hall Junior School | — | — | — | 450 | 0.4 miles |
| Blenheim Primary School | 65% | 4.7% | 18.7% | 650 | 0.4 miles |
| Leigh North Street Primary School | 57% | 4% | 12.2% | 612 | 0.6 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)
- 25.65%
- English as an additional language
- 12.9%
- Overall absence
- 4.62%
- Persistent absence
- 13.68%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School0.2 miles
Primary · Leigh-on-Sea
-
Chalkwell Hall Infant School0.4 miles
Primary · Leigh-on-Sea
-
Chalkwell Hall Junior School0.4 miles
Primary · Leigh-on-Sea
-
Blenheim Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Leigh-on-Sea
-
Leigh North Street Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Leigh-on-Sea
Other schools in Leigh-on-Sea
Darlinghurst Academy ranks 4th of the 8 ranked primary schools in Leigh-on-Sea.
- Blenheim Primary School Primary
- Chalkwell Hall Infant School Primary
- Chalkwell Hall Junior School Primary
- Eastwood Primary School & Nursery Primary
- Edwards Hall Primary School Primary
- Fairways Primary School Primary
- Heycroft Primary School Primary
- Leigh North Street Primary School Primary
- Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School Primary
- West Leigh Infant School Primary
- West Leigh Junior School Primary
- Belfairs Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Darlinghurst Academy teach?
- Darlinghurst Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Leigh-on-Sea.
- Who is the chief executive officer of Darlinghurst Academy?
- The chief executive officer of Darlinghurst Academy is Mrs Emma Nicholls, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Darlinghurst Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Darlinghurst Academy, 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 Darlinghurst Academy?
- Darlinghurst Academy has 547 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Darlinghurst Academy full?
- Darlinghurst Academy has capacity for 630 pupils and 547 on roll (87%), 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 Darlinghurst Academy a faith school?
- No. Darlinghurst Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Darlinghurst Academy a selective school?
- No. Darlinghurst Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Does Darlinghurst Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Darlinghurst Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Darlinghurst Academy part of an academy trust?
- Darlinghurst Academy is part of LEGRA ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Darlinghurst Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 68% in 2022/23 and 68% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Darlinghurst Academy compare with other schools in Southend-on-Sea?
- Darlinghurst Academy ranked 8th of 27 primary schools in Southend-on-Sea for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 61% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 69% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Darlinghurst Academy's absence rate?
- Darlinghurst Academy's overall absence rate is 4.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Darlinghurst Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Darlinghurst Academy'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.