Leigh Academy Bearsted
Popesfield Way, Weavering, Maidstone, ME14 5GA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- LEIGH ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Jane Tipple
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Leigh Academies Trust
- Constituency
- Faversham and Mid Kent
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 446
- Pupils on roll
- 412
- URN
- 147866
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01622250040
About this school
Leigh Academy Bearsted is a primary academy in Maidstone. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 412 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Leigh Academy Bearsted, 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
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 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 28 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 75% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% |
| Expected standard in reading | 89% |
| Expected standard in maths | 82% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 79% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 |
Trends over time
How Leigh Academy Bearsted has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 263 |
| 2023/24 | 326 |
| 2024/25 | 390 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Leigh Academy Bearsted compares
Leigh Academy Bearsted ranked 101st of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 78% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 75% | 4.8% | 11.1% | 412 | — |
| Maidstone, St John's Church of England Primary School | 83% | 3.8% | 7.3% | 437 | 0.6 miles |
| Roseacre Junior School | 73% | 3.7% | 4.5% | 424 | 0.8 miles |
| Thurnham Church of England Infant School | — | 3.6% | 4.1% | 254 | 0.8 miles |
| Valley Invicta Primary School At East Borough | 70% | 3.6% | 21.8% | 445 | 1.2 miles |
| Madginford Primary School | 61% | 6.4% | 15.2% | 588 | 1.3 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)
- 11.05%
- English as an additional language
- 27.2%
- Overall absence
- 4.76%
- Persistent absence
- 10.06%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Maidstone, St John's Church of England Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Maidstone
-
Roseacre Junior School0.8 miles
Primary · Maidstone
-
Thurnham Church of England Infant School0.8 miles
Primary · Maidstone
-
Valley Invicta Primary School At East Borough1.2 miles
Primary · Maidstone
-
Madginford Primary School1.3 miles
Primary · Maidstone
Other schools in Maidstone
Leigh Academy Bearsted ranks 9th of the 43 ranked primary schools in Maidstone.
- Allington Primary School Primary
- Archbishop Courtenay Primary School Primary
- Barming Primary School Primary
- Boughton Monchelsea Primary School Primary
- Brunswick House Primary School Primary
- Coxheath Primary School Primary
- East Farleigh Primary School Primary
- Greenfields Community Primary School Primary
- Harrietsham Church of England Primary School Primary
- Hollingbourne Primary School Primary
- Hunton Church of England Primary School Primary
- Jubilee Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Leigh Academy Bearsted teach?
- Leigh Academy Bearsted teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Maidstone.
- Who is the headteacher of Leigh Academy Bearsted?
- The headteacher of Leigh Academy Bearsted is Mrs Jane Tipple, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Leigh Academy Bearsted been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Leigh Academy Bearsted, 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 Bearsted?
- Leigh Academy Bearsted has 412 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Leigh Academy Bearsted full?
- Leigh Academy Bearsted has capacity for 446 pupils and 412 on roll (92%), 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 Bearsted a faith school?
- No. Leigh Academy Bearsted has no designated religious character.
- Is Leigh Academy Bearsted a selective school?
- No. Leigh Academy Bearsted is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Does Leigh Academy Bearsted have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Leigh Academy Bearsted as having nursery classes.
- Is Leigh Academy Bearsted part of an academy trust?
- Leigh Academy Bearsted 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 does Leigh Academy Bearsted compare with other schools in Kent?
- Leigh Academy Bearsted ranked 101st of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 78% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% 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 Bearsted's absence rate?
- Leigh Academy Bearsted's overall absence rate is 4.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Leigh Academy Bearsted's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Leigh Academy Bearsted'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 10 July 2026.