Leigh UTC Dartford

About Leigh UTC Dartford

Leigh UTC Dartford was rated Good overall in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022, with its sixth form provision judged Outstanding. The school’s Progress 8 score for the 2023/24 academic year sits at -0.35, meaning pupils’ progress across eight core GCSE subjects is below the national average. This places the school 9th out of 10 secondary schools in Dartford on that metric, and in the bottom half nationally. However, the picture is not uniform across subjects: progress in maths is close to the national average at -0.01, while English and the EBacc subjects show more significant negative scores. The school’s Attainment 8 score is 40.8, and 59% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and maths. Just 4.1% of pupils entered the EBacc suite of subjects, and only 1.6% achieved the full EBacc at grade 5 or above. The school’s average EBacc APS of 3.21 is modest, reflecting a curriculum that does not prioritise the full EBacc pathway.

At A-level, the sixth form is small with just 13 pupils in the data, and the average points per entry of 25.12 equates to a grade of C-. The best three A-levels averaged a D grade, and no pupils achieved the AAB combination. The school’s value added score of 0.16 is positive, suggesting that sixth formers make slightly better progress than similar students nationally, though the confidence interval is wide. Compared with the local authority average Progress 8 score of -0.13, Leigh UTC Dartford’s -0.35 is below the Kent norm. The school’s ranking in the local authority overall is 57th out of 106 secondary schools, placing it in the middle of the pack locally. Its most recent Ofsted inspection noted Good behaviour and attitudes, Good personal development, and Good leadership and management, with the sixth form singled out as Outstanding.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 117 places in the 2025/26 intake, it received 308 applications, with 71 first-preference offers. That’s a ratio of 2.63 applications per place. With 30.8% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a more disadvantaged intake than many local schools. Facilities include science labs, a theatre, music rooms, art studios, a sixth form centre, and a sports hall, with clubs ranging from the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to Model UN and Young Enterprise. SEND provision is broad, covering dyslexia, autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and physical disabilities. This is a school that suits families looking for a technical or vocational focus in a university technical college setting, with a strong sixth form and a clear emphasis on practical, employer-linked learning.

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