Welling School, Welling

Ofsted's report card from its 10 February 2026 inspection grades Welling School on 7 areas: 1 expected standard and 6 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Post 16 provision - Expected standard. "Leaders understand the post-16 study programmes well and adapt them appropriately for their students."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Achievement at key stage 4 has been weak over time."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Rates of overall attendance are consistently below average."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Teaching and the curriculum are inconsistent in Years 7 to 11."

Inclusion - Needs attention. "Staff have appropriate training about inclusive practices, but this training is not consistently well implemented."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Key aspects of the school need further development."

Personal development and wellbeing - Needs attention. "Leaders have not ensured that pupils on part-time timetables receive relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education that are appropriate to their needs and changing circumstances."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should continue their work to secure consistently high-quality teaching in Years 7 to 11 so that pupils' outcomes, including for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with lower prior attainment, improve swiftly"; "Leaders should ensure that all staff routinely implement the training they receive to support pupils with special educational needs/and or disabilities and other barriers to learning so that adaptations are consistently effective in supporting pupils with their learning and behaviour"; "Leaders should build on their work to further improve pupils' attendance and reduce levels of persistent absence so that pupils do not miss out on important learning"; "Leaders should ensure that staff apply the behaviour expectations consistently and effectively so that standards of behaviour and pupils' attitudes to learning are high across the school"; "Leaders should ensure that pupils on part-time timetables receive education that is suitable to their needs and changing circumstances, in particular statutory relationships and sex education and health education"; "Leaders should continue to embed new approaches in the sixth form so that pupils' achievement, in particular at A level, continues to improve".

In 2026, pupils at Welling School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 36.4, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 52.2 in Bexley and 47 across England.

32% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 56% in Bexley and 47% in England.

That is up from 34.7 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.82: 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 31.8, against 38.7 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 6.9 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 24 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Business Studies.

For September 2026 entry, 160 families put Welling School as their first choice and 474 named it as one of their preferences, for 199 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 Welling School are Bexley Grammar School (0.8 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 72.6); Harris Academy Falconwood (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47.7); Blackfen School for Girls (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.2); and Lift Bexleyheath (1.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47.3).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Welling School.

Welling School is one of 45 schools run by The Kemnal Academies Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 38.2 in 2024/25.

82 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Welling School (as of April 2026): 77% would recommend the school, 77% say their child is happy there and 55% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (77%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (55%).

Of the 242 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 82% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 32% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 70 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 46% went on to university or other higher education, 13% to apprenticeships and 20% into work. 4% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

Welling School has a resourced provision for autism: 10 places, 10 pupils on roll.

The nearest railway station is Welling Station, about 880 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).

9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Kenmere Road (->e), 140 metres away.

In 2024/25, Welling School issued 480 suspensions, 44.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 7 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Welling School are St Michael's East Wickham Church of England Primary School (0.3 miles), Foster's Primary School (0.5 miles), Hillsgrove Primary School (0.5 miles) and St Stephen's Catholic Primary School (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.