West Leigh Infant School, Leigh-on-Sea
West Leigh Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 7 in Leigh-on-Sea. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2024 did not change this grade. It was full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Southend-on-Sea (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
West Leigh Infant School in detail
Getting a place at West Leigh Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 129 families put West Leigh Infant School as their first choice and 224 named it as one of their preferences, for 120 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 11 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at West Leigh Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to West Leigh Infant School are West Leigh Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Outstanding, 89% reading, 88% maths); Leigh North Street Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 73% reading, 65% maths); Darlinghurst Academy (0.8 miles, Good, 73% reading, 74% maths); and Blenheim Primary School (0.8 miles, Outstanding, 75% reading, 81% maths).
West Leigh Junior SchoolLeigh North Street Primary SchoolDarlinghurst AcademyBlenheim Primary School
Who goes there
3.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 3.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (83%) and Mixed (6%).
In 2026, 32 pupils (8.9%) received SEN support and 6 (1.7%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Leigh-on-Sea Rail Station, about 870 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is West Leigh Schools (outside), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood West Leigh Infant School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 162 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).
Suspensions and exclusions
West Leigh Infant School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to West Leigh Infant School are Belfairs Academy (0.4 miles), Westcliff High School for Girls (0.9 miles), Westcliff High School for Boys Academy (1 mile) and St Thomas More High School (1.1 miles).
Belfairs AcademyWestcliff High School for GirlsWestcliff High School for Boys AcademySt Thomas More High School
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from October 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils are very proud of their school. They know and understand the school values because adults remind them to be honest, kind, safe, resilient and good team members. Pupils respond by trying hard and behaving well.
Pupils learn in a thoughtful and happy school. They play and learn very well together. Relationships are very calm and supportive. Pupils mix happily together at breaktimes in the very well resourced playground. They treat everyone fairly. If there are things that upset them, they know the adults in school will support them, help them and ensure it does not happen again. This helps pupils to feel safe. They enjoy coming to school.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has an effective, ambitious and interesting curriculum. Knowledge is well organised and sequenced in all subjects. Teachers plan lessons with each other. They ensure all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn the curriculum. Teachers teach important knowledge, including vocabulary, in the right order so that pupils build more complex knowledge over time. They check that pupils remember key knowledge in most subjects. However, in a small number of subjects these checks are still being developed. Therefore, pupils do not always make the progress in these subjects that leaders intend.
The curriculum for early reading is very effective and a strength of the school. Staff are well trained. They are experts in teaching pupils to read. Pupils learn to become confident readers quickly. Staff use the same routines, resources and reminders to help pupils apply the knowledge they have learned. The school provides effective, extra support if pupils need it to keep up. They ensure that reading books match the sounds pupils know. Pupils enjoy reading. Older pupils talk about a range of authors and books that they love. They use the school library to find books by new authors which they can take home to enjoy. As a result, there is a very positive culture of reading in the school.
From Ofsted's July 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its October 2014 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
3.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
30.0
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
11
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with West Leigh Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near West Leigh Infant School.
- Theatretrain Leigh-on-Sea530m away · Not yet graded
- Leigh North Street School - Intrepid Ventures Holiday Camp830m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to West Leigh Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. West Leigh Infant School is in Southend-on-Sea; for families living there:
Apply to Southend-on-Sea for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 15
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 15 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 1 serious and 13 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 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 Southend-on-Sea is 29 (the median across 61 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 West Leigh Infant School
Will you get a place at West Leigh Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against West Leigh Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for West Leigh Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to West Leigh Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Southend-on-Sea, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at West Leigh Infant School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Southend-on-Sea 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
100%
Full
360 pupils
360 places
No spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Leigh-on-Sea
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Leigh-on-Sea
Across Southend-on-Sea council
Places available
1,925
Applications
1,741
Got 1st preference
87.8%
Got preferred school
97.8%
All primary applications across Southend-on-Sea council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
32
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
10.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
360
Total Pupils
171
Boys
189
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
18
Teachers
20.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,918
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,042
Per pupil
£1960k
Total funding
£18k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.4%
Overall absence
4.1%
Persistent absence
245
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Questions parents ask about West Leigh Infant School
What is West Leigh Infant School's Ofsted rating?
West Leigh Infant School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for West Leigh Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When West Leigh Infant School is oversubscribed, Southend-on-Sea allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at West Leigh Infant School?
West Leigh Infant School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at West Leigh Infant School?
Classes at West Leigh Infant School average 30 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to West Leigh Infant School?
West Leigh Infant School has around 360 pupils on roll. 3% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at West Leigh Infant School?
3.4% of sessions were missed at West Leigh Infant School in 2024/25. 4.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to West Leigh Infant School?
Apply through Southend-on-Sea's coordinated admissions process, naming West Leigh Infant School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does West Leigh Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of West Leigh Infant School: Theatretrain Leigh-on-Sea (530m away, registered, not yet graded) and Leigh North Street School - Intrepid Ventures Holiday Camp (830m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near West Leigh Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 15 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 1 serious and 13 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 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 Southend-on-Sea is 29 (the median across 61 schools, same distance and years).
Where is West Leigh Infant School?
West Leigh Infant School is at Ronald Hill Grove, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, SS9 2JB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)