Joseph Leckie Academy

About Joseph Leckie Academy

Joseph Leckie Academy is a mixed, non-denominational state secondary school in Walsall, West Midlands, that has carved out a solid position in the local landscape. Among the 18 secondary schools in the local authority, it ranks 4th by Progress 8 score, placing it in the top quarter of Walsall schools. Its closest academic peers in the area are Queen Mary's Grammar School, Queen Mary's High School, and Barr Beacon School, all of which sit above it in the rankings. The school is significantly oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 390 applications for 255 places, with 199 first-preference offers made. That level of demand suggests strong local confidence in what the school offers. Headteacher Andrew McNaughton leads a large community of 1,520 pupils, which exceeds its official capacity of 1,414. More than half of pupils (51.1%) are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average, reflecting the school's role in serving a diverse and economically varied catchment.

Academically, Joseph Leckie delivers outcomes that are solidly above the Walsall average. Its Progress 8 score of +0.11 is positive, meaning pupils make more progress than the national average, and it sits well above the local authority average of -0.21. Attainment 8 sits at 43.7, with 59.5% of pupils achieving a grade 5 or above in English and maths. The EBacc average point score is 3.83, though only 35% of pupils entered the EBacc combination. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2021, the school was rated Good across all categories, including behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and sixth-form provision. This marks a clear improvement from its previous inspection in 2017, when it was rated Requires Improvement. At sixth form, the school's value-added score is -0.03, classed as Average, with pupils achieving an average grade of C per entry and a best three A-levels grade of C+. The school ranks 126th out of 371 secondaries in the West Midlands region.

The school offers a broad range of facilities, including a sixth form centre, science labs, music rooms, art studios, and a chapel, alongside extensive playing fields and a sports hall. Sports on offer include athletics, football, rugby, netball, tennis, gymnastics, and dance, while extracurricular clubs range from Debate and Model UN to the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, Coding, and Young Enterprise. SEND provision is comprehensive, covering specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, autistic spectrum disorder, and physical disabilities. For families considering Joseph Leckie, the data paints a picture of a large, inclusive school that has improved significantly and is now performing above the local average. It is particularly well-suited to families in Walsall who want a non-selective state school with a strong sixth form, a wide range of activities, and a proven track record of helping pupils make good progress regardless of their starting point.

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