Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard
Cherry Orchard, Cherry Orchard Road, Ebbsfleet, DA10 1AD
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- LEIGH ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Julie Forsythe
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Leigh Academies Trust
- SEN provision
- SLCN - Speech, language and Communication
- Constituency
- Dartford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 450
- Pupils on roll
- 447
- URN
- 142517
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01322242011
About this school
Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard is a primary academy in Ebbsfleet. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 447 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard, 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
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Early years
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 60 | 60 | 59 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 78% | 82% | 83% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 18% | 23% | 29% |
| Expected standard in reading | 85% | 88% | 88% |
| Expected standard in maths | 87% | 87% | 88% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 78% | 90% | 90% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 109.0 | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 | 109.0 | 109.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.30 | - | - |
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 Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard 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 | 78% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 82% | 60.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 83% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 446 |
| 2023/24 | 452 |
| 2024/25 | 449 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard compares
Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard ranked 34th of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 91% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 91% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 83% | 3.6% | 16.7% | 447 | — |
| Ebbsfleet Green Primary School | 97% | 4.3% | 9.7% | 451 | 0.3 miles |
| Manor Community Primary School | 66% | 5.1% | 31.5% | 692 | 0.5 miles |
| The Craylands School | 76% | 5.4% | 26.1% | 414 | 0.8 miles |
| Springhead Park Primary School | 66% | 5.9% | 20.7% | 438 | 1.1 miles |
| Bean Primary School | 63% | 5.2% | 25.4% | 204 | 1.1 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)
- 16.67%
- English as an additional language
- 20.5%
- Overall absence
- 3.6%
- Persistent absence
- 5.43%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Ebbsfleet Green Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Swanscombe
-
Manor Community Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Swanscombe
-
The Craylands School0.8 miles
Primary · Swanscombe
-
Springhead Park Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Northfleet
-
Bean Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Dartford
Common questions
- What ages does Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard teach?
- Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Ebbsfleet.
- Who is the headteacher of Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard?
- The headteacher of Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard is Mrs Julie Forsythe, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard, 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 Cherry Orchard?
- Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard has 447 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard full?
- Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard has capacity for 450 pupils and 447 on roll (99%), so it is close to full. 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 Cherry Orchard a faith school?
- No. Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard has no designated religious character.
- Does Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard as having nursery classes.
- Is Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard part of an academy trust?
- Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard 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.
- What SEN provision does Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard have?
- The schools register lists Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard's special educational needs provision as: SLCN - Speech, language and Communication. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 78% in 2022/23 and 83% 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 Cherry Orchard compare with other schools in Kent?
- Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard ranked 34th of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 91% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 91% 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 Cherry Orchard's absence rate?
- Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard's overall absence rate is 3.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard'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 2 July 2026.