Leigh Academy Rainham, Gillingham
Leigh Academy Rainham is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 19 in Gillingham, part of Leigh Academies Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2024. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 5th-highest of the 7 schools in Gillingham with published results, and 1,915th of 3,298 across England. It was 65% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Medway (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Leigh Academy Rainham in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Leigh Academy Rainham averaged an Attainment 8 score of 44.5, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.3 in Medway and 47 across England.
30% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 44% in Medway and 47% in England.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 39.6, against 45.8 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 6.2 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Spanish and History.
Getting a place at Leigh Academy Rainham
For September 2026 entry, 176 families put Leigh Academy Rainham as their first choice and 681 named it as one of their preferences, for 174 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 20 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Leigh Academy Rainham
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Leigh Academy Rainham are Rainham School for Girls (1.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.8); The Howard School (1.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47.3); Rainham Mark Grammar School (1.4 miles, Good, selective, Attainment 8 63.1); and The Robert Napier School (2.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 30.2).
Leigh Academy Rainham's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Rainham School for GirlsThe Howard SchoolRainham Mark Grammar SchoolThe Robert Napier School
The trust
Leigh Academy Rainham is one of 33 schools run by Leigh Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 47.4 in 2024/25.
Who goes there
7.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (72%), Black (7%) and Mixed (7%).
Leigh Academy Rainham has a SEN unit for moderate learning difficulties: 32 places, 32 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Rainham (Kent) Rail Station, about 990 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Leigh Academy (outside), 150 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Leigh Academy Rainham stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 4th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 90 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Medway (250).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Leigh Academy Rainham issued 118 suspensions, 14.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Leigh Academy Rainham are Riverside Primary School (0.3 miles), Miers Court Primary School (0.8 miles), St Margaret's Church of England Junior School (0.8 miles) and St Margaret's Infant School (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Riverside Primary SchoolMiers Court Primary SchoolSt Margaret's Church of England Junior SchoolSt Margaret's Infant School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2024 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
Rated Good for
Quality of education.
About
Leigh Academy Rainham is an 11–18 mixed secondary school and sixth form located in Rainham, Kent, England. It has 48 dedicated classrooms with yellow walls.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
22.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
SEN unit: MLD
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
44.5
Attainment 8
29.5%
Eng+Maths 5+
2025/26 academic year
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 44.5 | 29.5% |
| Disadvantaged(48) | - | 39.6 | 14.6% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(176) | - | 45.8 | 33.5% |
| Boys(129) | - | 42.6 | 27.9% |
| Girls(95) | - | 47.1 | 31.6% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(15) | - | 43.9 | 26.7% |
| Non mobile(215) | - | 44.8 | 29.8% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 1 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
Exclusions & Suspensions
3
Permanent exclusions
0.38%
Exclusion rate
118
Suspensions
14.88%
Suspension rate
57 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 793 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Leigh Academy Rainham
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Leigh Academy Rainham from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Leigh Academy Rainham is in Medway; for families living there:
Apply to Medway for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 18
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 18 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 14 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot.
7 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Medway is 25 (the median across 117 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Leigh Academy Rainham
Will you get a place at Leigh Academy Rainham? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Leigh Academy Rainham's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Leigh Academy Rainham:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Leigh Academy Rainham.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Medway, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Leigh Academy Rainham for 2022 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Medway got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
65%
Available places
779 pupils
1,200 places
421 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Gillingham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Gillingham
Across Medway council
Places available
3,844
Applications
3,586
Got 1st preference
80.4%
Got preferred school
96.8%
All secondary applications across Medway council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
187
SEN Support
34
EHC Plans
22.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Leigh Academy Rainham has a SEN unit for moderate learning difficulties: 32 places, 32 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
964
Total Pupils
520
Boys
444
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
53
Teachers
18.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,754
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,809
Per pupil
£7110k
Total funding
£203k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.2%
Overall absence
17.3%
Persistent absence
844
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about Leigh Academy Rainham
What are GCSE results like at Leigh Academy Rainham?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Leigh Academy Rainham achieved an Attainment 8 score of 44.5. 30% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Leigh Academy Rainham's Ofsted rating?
Leigh Academy Rainham was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2024.
What is the catchment area for Leigh Academy Rainham?
No fixed boundary. When Leigh Academy Rainham is oversubscribed, Medway allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Leigh Academy Rainham?
Leigh Academy Rainham was not full in 2025: it ran at 65% of its 1200 places.
How big are the classes at Leigh Academy Rainham?
Classes at Leigh Academy Rainham average 28.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Leigh Academy Rainham?
Leigh Academy Rainham has around 964 pupils on roll. 22% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Leigh Academy Rainham have specialist SEN provision?
Leigh Academy Rainham has a SEN unit for moderate learning difficulties: 32 places, 32 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Leigh Academy Rainham?
6.2% of sessions were missed at Leigh Academy Rainham in 2024/25. 17.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Leigh Academy Rainham?
Apply through Medway's coordinated admissions process, naming Leigh Academy Rainham on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Leigh Academy Rainham?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 18 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 14 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot. 7 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Medway is 25 (the median across 117 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Leigh Academy Rainham?
Leigh Academy Rainham is at Otterham Quay Lane, Rainham, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 8GS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)