The Eastwood Academy, Leigh-on-Sea

In its own words: "At The Eastwood Academy, we take pride in our long-standing history of supporting ITE trainees to become skilled and confident professionals. Over the years, we have celebrated many successes as we guide our trainees through both theoretical knowledge and practical teaching experiences."

From the headteacher's welcome: "At Eastwood, we believe deeply in every young person - not only in what they can achieve, but in who they are and who they are becoming. We are proud to be a school where every pupil is known, valued and supported to grow in confidence and character."

Coming up: an open evening on Wednesday 23 June 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at The Eastwood Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 51.2, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 55 in Southend-on-Sea and 47 across England.

52% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 59% in Southend-on-Sea and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 51.6.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.44: pupils made above 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 43.9, against 52.9 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 9 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Social Studies, Combined Science and French.

For September 2026 entry, 359 families put The Eastwood Academy as their first choice and 1020 named it as one of their preferences, for 220 places offered. That is 1.6 first choices for every place. 148 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to The Eastwood Academy are St Thomas More High School (0.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 52.9); Westcliff High School for Girls (0.8 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 73.8); Westcliff High School for Boys Academy (0.8 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 77.2); and Chase High School (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 38.5).

The Eastwood Academy's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.

The Eastwood Academy is one of 4 schools run by Tenacitas Trust, an academy trust.

139 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Eastwood Academy (as of September 2025): 96% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 60% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (99%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (60%).

Of the 220 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 91% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 50% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

4.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (82%), Asian (5%) and Mixed (5%).

The nearest railway station is Chalkwell Rail Station, about 1.7 miles away in a straight line.

16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Kent Elms Corner North (s-bound), 50 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 128 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Southend-on-Sea (318).

In 2024/25, The Eastwood Academy issued 40 suspensions, 3.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to The Eastwood Academy are Eastwood Primary School & Nursery (under 0.1 miles), Heycroft Primary School (0.4 miles), Blenheim Primary School (0.5 miles) and Edwards Hall Primary School (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.