Lift Bexleyheath, Bexleyheath

Ofsted's report card from its 28 April 2026 inspection grades Lift Bexleyheath on 7 areas: 7 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "Typically, over the last 3 years, pupils' achievement in national examinations at the end of Year 11 has been close to the national average."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Everyone has a role to play in supporting pupils' attendance."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have a clear understanding of strengths and areas that need to be better in relation to the curriculum and how it is taught."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "The school serves its diverse community well."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders know their school."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders ensure that pupils have access to a range of personal development opportunities."

Post 16 provision - Expected standard. "The sixth-form study programme covers a range of different subjects."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that staff have the expertise to use what they know about pupils to adapt their teaching more effectively to meet pupils' different needs and enhance pupils' overall outcomes"; "Leaders should ensure that they embed high-quality teaching across the curriculum, including effective use of assessment so that pupils, particularly those with high prior attainment and students in the sixth form, progress well"; "Leaders should enhance their checks on the impact of their work, using their findings to secure sustained improvement".

The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.

Coming up: an open evening on Wednesday 18 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at Lift Bexleyheath averaged an Attainment 8 score of 47.3, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 52.2 in Bexley and 47 across England.

50% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 56% in Bexley and 47% in England.

That is up from 41.1 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.42: pupils made 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 41.7, against 50 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 8.3 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 22 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Spanish and History.

For September 2026 entry, 104 families put Lift Bexleyheath as their first choice and 501 named it as one of their preferences, for 215 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 Lift Bexleyheath are St Catherine's Catholic School (0.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 55.5); St Columba's Catholic Boys' School (0.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.9); Townley Grammar School (0.6 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 74.8); and Beths Grammar School (0.8 miles, Good, selective, Attainment 8 73.2).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Lift Bexleyheath.

Lift Bexleyheath is one of 62 schools run by Lift Schools, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 40.7 in 2024/25.

88 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Lift Bexleyheath (as of April 2026): 47% would recommend the school, 52% say their child is happy there and 12% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (55%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (12%).

Of the 204 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 81% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 35% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 95 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 40% went on to university or other higher education, 10% to apprenticeships and 27% into work. 5% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

45.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (45%), Black (20%) and Asian (13%).

In 2026, 221 pupils (15%) received SEN support and 30 (2%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.

The nearest railway station is Bexleyheath Rail Station, about 1060 metres away (roughly a 13-minute walk).

18 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Friswell Place (->e), 70 metres away.

In 2024/25, Lift Bexleyheath issued 151 suspensions, 10.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Lift Bexleyheath are Pelham Primary School (0.2 miles), Gravel Hill Primary School (0.4 miles), Upland Primary School (0.5 miles) and St Thomas More Catholic Primary School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.