Leigh Academy Rainham
Otterham Quay Lane, Rainham, Gillingham, ME8 8GS
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 11 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- LEIGH ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Alexandra Cramlington
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Leigh Academies Trust
- SEN provision
- MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Gillingham and Rainham
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,150
- Pupils on roll
- 964
- URN
- 148577
- Local authority
- Medway
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01634412440
About this school
Leigh Academy Rainham is a secondary academy in Gillingham. It teaches children aged 11 to 19 and has 964 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Leigh Academy Rainham, 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
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Trends over time
How Leigh Academy Rainham 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 | 6.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 405 |
| 2023/24 | 631 |
| 2024/25 | 793 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Leigh Academy Rainham compares
Its absence rate was lower than 35% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 6.2% | 24.6% | 964 | — |
| Rainham School for Girls | 44.3 | 8.7% | 22.7% | 1,622 | 1.4 miles |
| The Howard School | 45.2 | 6.6% | 22.5% | 1,471 | 1.4 miles |
| Rainham Mark Grammar School | 62.7 | 5.4% | 10.5% | 1,568 | 1.4 miles |
| The Robert Napier School | 32.5 | 11% | 50.4% | 1,048 | 2.9 miles |
| Chatham Grammar | 61.8 | 4.7% | 17% | 948 | 3.4 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)
- 24.59%
- English as an additional language
- 7.1%
- Overall absence
- 6.21%
- Persistent absence
- 17.3%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Rainham School for Girls1.4 miles
Secondary · Gillingham
-
The Howard School1.4 miles
Secondary · Gillingham
-
Rainham Mark Grammar School1.4 miles
Secondary · Gillingham
-
The Robert Napier School2.9 miles
Secondary · Gillingham
-
Chatham Grammar3.4 miles
Secondary · Chatham
Other schools in Gillingham
- Brompton Academy Secondary
- Rainham Mark Grammar School Secondary
- Rainham School for Girls Secondary
- The Howard School Secondary
- The Robert Napier School Secondary
- Barnsole Primary School Primary
- Brompton-Westbrook Primary School Primary
- Burnt Oak Primary School Primary
- Byron Primary School Primary
- Deanwood Primary School Primary
- Fairview Community Primary School Primary
- Featherby Infant and Nursery School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Leigh Academy Rainham teach?
- Leigh Academy Rainham teaches children aged 11 to 19. It is a secondary school in Gillingham.
- Who is the headteacher of Leigh Academy Rainham?
- The headteacher of Leigh Academy Rainham is Mrs Alexandra Cramlington, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Leigh Academy Rainham been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Leigh Academy Rainham, 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 Rainham?
- Leigh Academy Rainham has 964 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 19.
- Is Leigh Academy Rainham full?
- Leigh Academy Rainham has capacity for 1,150 pupils and 964 on roll (84%), 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 Rainham a faith school?
- No. Leigh Academy Rainham has no designated religious character.
- Is Leigh Academy Rainham a selective school?
- No. Leigh Academy Rainham is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Leigh Academy Rainham part of an academy trust?
- Leigh Academy Rainham 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 Rainham have?
- The schools register lists Leigh Academy Rainham's special educational needs provision as: MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- What is Leigh Academy Rainham's absence rate?
- Leigh Academy Rainham's overall absence rate is 6.2% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Leigh Academy Rainham publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for Leigh Academy Rainham. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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.