Leigh Academy Bearsted
Primary · Free schools · Mixed · Kent
Popesfield Way, Maidstone, ME14 5GA
–
headline score
Ranking (England)
—
No ranked results
Ofsted
Outstanding
Graded 24/01/2023
Application demand
100%
1st preference success · Not oversubscribed
Attendance
95.2%
10.1% persistently absent
At a glance
Pupils on roll
412
Capacity used
Nearly full92%
446 places
GCSE rank (England)
—
KS2 rank (England)
—
Application demand
Primary entry · official council applications and offers
100%
1st preference success rate
43 of 43 families who put it first got an offer
56
Places offered
146
Total applications
2.6
Applications per place
| Preference (Sept 2025 entry) | Applications | Offers | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st preference | 43 | 43 | ● 100% |
| 2nd preference | 43 | 9 | ● 21% |
| 3rd preference | 60 | 3 | ● 5% |
| Total | 146 | 55 | 38% |
1st preference success by year
Kent lets families list 3 preferences. 2 applications came from outside the council area (2 offered). Source: Department for Education, school-level applications and offers. Offers are made on each school's admissions criteria (e.g. siblings, distance, faith), so check the school's policy.
Details
- Type
- Free schools
- Phase
- Primary
- Age range
- 3–11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sixth form
- No
- Nursery
- Has Nursery Classes
- Boarding
- No boarders
- Headteacher
- Jane Tipple
- Address
- Popesfield Way, Weavering, Maidstone, ME14 5GA
- Phone
- 01622250040
- Local authority
- Kent
- Ward / constituency
- Grove Green & Vinters Park · Faversham and Mid Kent
- Area
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 147866
Pupils
| Measure | School | LA | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free school meals | 11% | — | — |
| English as additional language | 26% | — | — |
| SEN support | 11% | — | — |
Local deprivation (IDACI quintile 2 of 5)
1 = least deprived area, 5 = most deprived. Context only.
Academy trust: LEIGH ACADEMIES TRUST
412 pupils · 446 places. Intake figures describe the school's community — they aren't good or bad.
Ofsted inspections
- 23
24 January 2023
Full graded inspection
Outstanding overall effectivenessEarly years Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Quality of education Outstanding Safeguarding effective Yes Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding
Attendance
2024/2025 school year · 308 pupils
Attendance
95.2%
Share of sessions attended · England 94.5%
Overall absence
4.8%
Sessions missed, any reason · England 5.5%
Persistent absence
10.1%
Pupils missing 10%+ of school · England 14.6%
Severe absence
0.7%
Pupils missing 50%+ of school · England 2.3%
Unauthorised absence
1.1%
Absences the school didn't approve
Persistent absence by year
Source: Department for Education, pupil absence by school (pupils aged 5–15). Lower absence is better. England figures are approximate 2023/24 averages.
Primary results by subject (SATs)
Year 6 pupils meeting each standard, against England
Reading, writing & maths combined
Reading
Writing
Maths
Grammar, punctuation & spelling
Science
England average · Scaled scores run 80–120 (100 = expected standard).
Primary results over time
Expected standard (RWM) by year (2020 and 2021 exams were cancelled)
| Result | School | England (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Expected standard (RWM) | 75% | 61% |
| Higher standard | 4% | 8% |
House prices near the school
Typical sold prices (Land Registry) within 1 km, last 12 months.
Loading prices…
Key application dates
National deadlines in England. Apply through Kent council, not the school.
| Entry | Deadline | Offer day |
|---|---|---|
| Reception (primary) | 15 January | 16 April (or next working day) |
Admissions policy: Non-selective. Check the school's own admissions rules on its website.
Source: Get Information About Schools and the DfE school and college performance tables (2023-2024); Oxbridge figures from the University of Cambridge's admissions by UCAS apply centre (Oxford doesn't publish per-school figures). Read the method.