Lea Manor High School, Luton

Ofsted's report card from its 20 January 2026 inspection grades Lea Manor High School on 6 areas: 4 strong standard, 1 expected standard and 1 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Leaders have established and sustained a highly effective approach to improving attendance, underpinned by clear expectations."

Curriculum and teaching - Strong standard. "The curriculum is ambitious for all pupils."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Inclusion is a clear strength of the school and is at the heart of pupils' experiences."

Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "The trust formally took over the school in August 2023, having already begun improvement work a year earlier."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have established a well-planned personal development and wellbeing programme that supports pupils to grow into confident, respectful and responsible young people."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Historic weaknesses meant that pupils' achievement was significantly below the national average."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "• Leaders should sustain their improvements around curriculum and teaching to ensure that pupils achieve improved outcomes in national examinations. • Leaders should more rigorously evaluate the impact of teaching about protected characteristics to ensure all pupils develop a secure understanding of, and respect for, difference".

In 2026, pupils at Lea Manor High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 42.3, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.5 in Luton and 47 across England.

37% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 46% in Luton and 47% in England.

That is up from 36.3 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.98: pupils made well below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 38.9, against 44.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 5.7 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 20 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Business Studies.

For September 2026 entry, 101 families put Lea Manor High School as their first choice and 249 named it as one of their preferences, for 154 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Lea Manor High School are Lealands High School (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 41.7); Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.8); Icknield High School (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.3); and Challney High School for Girls (1.6 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 51.5).

Lea Manor High School's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.

Lea Manor High School is one of 21 schools run by Chiltern Learning Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 48.5 in 2024/25.

81 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Lea Manor High School (as of April 2026): 79% would recommend the school, 74% say their child is happy there and 39% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (88%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (39%).

Of the 227 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 86% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 50% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

45.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 27.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are Asian (45%), White British (20%) and Black (14%).

In 2026, 114 pupils (12.4%) received SEN support and 26 (2.8%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a moderate learning difficulty.

Lea Manor High School has a resourced provision for autism: 10 places, 8 pupils on roll.

The nearest railway station is Leagrave Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.

8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Lea Manor High School (opposite), 190 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 186 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Luton (296).

In 2024/25, Lea Manor High School issued 123 suspensions, 12.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 12 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Lea Manor High School are Whitefield Primary Academy (0.4 miles), Waulud Primary School (0.5 miles), Parklea Primary School (0.6 miles) and Bramingham Primary School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.