Leigh Academy Halley has received an incredible Ofsted report that recognises “exceptional” practice across five key areas of academy life. This judgement recognises the academy as a national centre of excellence, and we could not be more delighted with the outcome.
Our Ofsted inspection took place in the Autumn of 2025, and we were one of the first schools nationally to be visited under Ofsted’s new inspection framework, which is significantly more rigorous and challenging. Under this framework, the highest judgements — including “Exceptional” — are used very rarely, and only where practice is of the highest standard nationally.
Inspectors awarded the rare exceptional judgement in attendance and behaviour, inclusion, leadership and governance, personal development and well-being, and post-16 provision. The remaining areas – teaching and curriculum, and achievement – were evaluated as “Strong Standard”. Inspectors recognised that the Academy’s work has a “phenomenal” impact on students’ lives, reporting that pupils “achieve, thrive and feel a deep sense of belonging”.
The full report can be found here.
Some key highlights from the report include:
Leadership and governance
- “Leaders and those responsible for governance make all their decisions in the very best interests of pupils, and their work has a phenomenal impact on pupils’ lives.”
- “Those responsible for governance bring a great deal of expertise to their roles, fulfil their statutory duties entirely and set high expectations for the school.”
Inclusion
- “This is an exceptionally inclusive school. All pupils are welcome, and all are catered for extremely well. This has a transformational impact on the extent to which all pupils succeed personally and academically.”
Attendance and behaviour
- “Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are exemplary… conduct is considerate, purposeful and calm.”
- “Leaders and staff are experts in identifying barriers to attendance and exceedingly successful in removing them.”
Personal development and well-being
- “The school’s success in developing all pupils’ character is remarkable.”
- “Pupils feel very safe and very valued.”
Post-16 provision
- “Post-16 provision has a transformational impact on preparing students for their next stage and their adult lives.”
Curriculum and teaching
- “Leaders have established a broad, ambitious and imaginative curriculum that is carefully designed to meet the needs of all pupils and prepare them well for their adult lives.”
- “Pupils are taught by subject experts across all year groups. The curriculum and teaching are highly effective in enabling pupils to make consistent progress.”
Achievement
- “Pupils’ knowledge builds securely as they progress through the curriculum from Year 7 to Year 13.”
- “All pupils are very well prepared for their next steps as a result of the knowledge and skills they develop across the curriculum.”
This achievement belongs first and foremost to our students, whose attitudes, conduct and commitment to their learning impressed inspectors throughout their visit.
It is also a reflection of the extraordinary professionalism, care and dedication of our staff, who work tirelessly every day to ensure that pupils are supported academically, socially and emotionally.
We also want to thank our parents and carers, for the trust they place in us, and the partnership we share, to educate and care for their children. Inspectors recognised the importance of this relationship, and this report reflects the strength of the community we have built together.
Ben Russell, Principal of Leigh Academy Halley, said:
“We could not be more delighted with our published Ofsted report. Inspectors recognised that our calm, purposeful Academy, built on strong relationships, and consistently high expectations, provides the best education to our students. This report is a powerful reflection of the exceptional work of our staff and governors, whose commitment and care ensure that pupils feel safe, attendance is significantly above national averages, behaviour supports learning, and inclusion runs through everything we do.
Our community is richly and proudly diverse, and many pupils join us at different points in the year. Through our ambitious IB curriculum and our ‘small school’ model, excellent teaching combined with strong pastoral care, and clear, fair systems, mean that every student is known well, supported with compassion and challenged to succeed. I am immensely proud of our staff and deeply grateful to our families for the trust and partnership they place in us. This report recognises that shared endeavour, giving families and our local community confidence that Leigh Academy Halley is a place where young people are cared for, challenged and enabled to flourish.”
