Leigh UTC Dartford
Brunel Way, Dartford, DA1 5TF
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- University technical college
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- LEIGH ACADEMIES TRUST
- Principal
- Mr Kevin Watson
- Sponsor
- Leigh Academies Trust
- Constituency
- Dartford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 960
- Pupils on roll
- 691
- URN
- 140987
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01322626600
About this school
Leigh UTC Dartford is a secondary school in Dartford. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 691 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
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
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 134 | 122 | 106 |
| Attainment 8 score | 39.3 | 40.8 | 44.4 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.44 -0.69 to -0.20 | -0.35 -0.62 to -0.09 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 31% | 32% | 43.4% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 53% | 59% | 60.4% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 4.1% | 1.9% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.3 |
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 UTC Dartford 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 | 39.3 | 37.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 40.8 | 37.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 44.4 | 37.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 730 |
| 2023/24 | 707 |
| 2024/25 | 689 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Leigh UTC Dartford compares
Leigh UTC Dartford ranked 42nd of 100 secondary schools in Kent for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 55% 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 | 44.4 | 7.3% | 33.6% | 691 | — |
| Dartford Grammar School | 79.9 | 4.3% | 8.8% | 1,576 | 1.3 miles |
| Stone Lodge School | 37.6 | 10.1% | 31.7% | 1,139 | 1.4 miles |
| Dartford Grammar School for Girls | 75.5 | 4.6% | 23.3% | 1,257 | 1.4 miles |
| Harris Academy Riverside | 47.9 | 5.7% | 30% | 1,111 | 1.5 miles |
| Dartford Science & Technology College | 49.1 | 8.4% | 22.3% | 857 | 1.5 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)
- 33.57%
- English as an additional language
- 16.8%
- Overall absence
- 7.3%
- Persistent absence
- 22.8%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Dartford Grammar School1.3 miles
Secondary · Dartford
-
Stone Lodge School1.4 miles
Secondary · Dartford
-
Dartford Grammar School for Girls1.4 miles
Secondary · Dartford
-
Harris Academy Riverside1.5 miles
Secondary · Purfleet
-
Dartford Science & Technology College1.5 miles
Secondary · Dartford
Other schools in Dartford
Leigh UTC Dartford ranks 7th of the 9 ranked secondary schools in Dartford.
- Dartford Grammar School Secondary
- Dartford Grammar School for Girls Secondary
- Dartford Science & Technology College Secondary
- Haberdashers' Crayford Academy Secondary
- Sir Geoffrey Leigh Academy Secondary
- Stone Lodge School Secondary
- Wilmington Grammar School for Boys Secondary
- Wilmington Grammar School for Girls Secondary
- Bean Primary School Primary
- Dartford Bridge Community Primary School Primary
- Fleetdown Primary Academy Primary
- Greenlands Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Leigh UTC Dartford teach?
- Leigh UTC Dartford teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Dartford.
- Who is the principal of Leigh UTC Dartford?
- The principal of Leigh UTC Dartford is Mr Kevin Watson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Leigh UTC Dartford last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Leigh UTC Dartford, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Leigh UTC Dartford?
- Leigh UTC Dartford has 691 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Leigh UTC Dartford full?
- Leigh UTC Dartford has capacity for 960 pupils and 691 on roll (72%), 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 UTC Dartford a faith school?
- No. Leigh UTC Dartford has no designated religious character.
- Who runs Leigh UTC Dartford?
- Leigh UTC Dartford 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 UTC Dartford's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 39.3 in 2022/23 and 44.4 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 UTC Dartford rank locally?
- Leigh UTC Dartford ranked 42nd of 100 secondary schools in Kent for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 55% 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 UTC Dartford's absence rate?
- Leigh UTC Dartford's overall absence rate is 7.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Leigh UTC Dartford's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Leigh UTC Dartford'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.