The Basildon Lower Academy, Basildon

Ofsted's report card from its 27 January 2026 inspection grades The Basildon Lower Academy on 6 areas: 4 expected standard, 1 needs attention and 1 urgent improvement. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils generally achieve well and in line with leaders' expectations."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "The curriculum is ambitious, broad and coherently sequenced."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders identify pupils' special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) accurately and promptly."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The school provides a well‑planned personal development and wellbeing programme that supports pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Leaders have improved areas such as the structure of the curriculum, safeguarding, behaviour and teaching."

Attendance and behaviour - Urgent improvement. "Improving attendance is an urgent priority."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders must ensure that their strategies to improve attendance result in a significant reduction in the number of pupils who are absent and persistently absent from school"; "Leaders should ensure teachers have the knowledge and skills they need to adapt the curriculum effectively, so that all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils, have every opportunity to learn and understand what they are taught"; "Leaders should ensure that staff apply routines consistently, so that incidents of poor behaviour are addressed promptly and effectively across the school"; "Leaders should ensure that all pupils, particularly pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, are encouraged to participate fully in the school's wide range of extra-curricular activities".

For September 2026 entry, 86 families put The Basildon Lower Academy as their first choice and 200 named it as one of their preferences, for 213 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 The Basildon Lower Academy are The Basildon Upper Academy (0.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 26.9); De La Salle School (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46); Harris Academy Kingswood (1.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.4); and Harris Academy Wickford (2.3 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 38.2).

The Basildon Lower Academy is one of 2 schools run by The Basildon Academies, an academy trust.

40 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Basildon Lower Academy (as of April 2026): 40% would recommend the school, 38% say their child is happy there and 26% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (40%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (23%).

52.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 25.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (61%), Black (12%) and Mixed (7%).

In 2026, 145 pupils (16.3%) received SEN support and 18 (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 social, emotional and mental health needs.

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

6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Craylands (opposite), 130 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 552 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Essex (97), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, The Basildon Lower Academy issued 369 suspensions, 40.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to The Basildon Lower Academy are Greensted Primary School & Nursery (0.2 miles); St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, Basildon (0.3 miles); Fairhouse Community Primary School (0.7 miles); and Bardfield Academy (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.