The St Leonards Academy

About The St Leonards Academy

The St Leonards Academy is a mixed state secondary in Hastings, part of the East Sussex local authority, and it faces a challenging local landscape. Among the 29 secondary schools in the LA, it ranks 23rd by Progress 8 score, placing it behind well-regarded local peers such as St Richard's Catholic College, Beacon Academy, and Priory School. Within Hastings itself, the school is ranked 3rd out of 3 schools, putting it at the bottom of the town's secondary options. The school is significantly oversubscribed for 2025/26, receiving 425 applications for 282 places, with 258 first-preference offers made. This suggests that despite its ranking, it remains a key choice for many local families. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2025 was a graded inspection that rated it Inadequate across all areas, including quality of education, personal development, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management. This is a downgrade from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2022, and the report was published in April 2025.

Academically, the school's outcomes are well below average. Its Progress 8 score of -1.22 is significantly lower than the East Sussex LA average of -0.16, and the national banding is described as 'Well below average'. The Attainment 8 score sits at 30.7, and only 38.2% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths, dropping to 25% at grade 5 or above. Entry to the English Baccalaureate is very low at 6.1%, and just 2.1% of pupils achieved the EBacc at grade 4 or above. The school's EBacc average point score is 2.49. In the South East region, it ranks 456th out of 461 schools, and nationally it sits at 3073rd out of 3141, placing it in the bottom 50 tier. Parent View data, based on 155 responses between September 2024 and September 2025, shows that 63% of parents would recommend the school, though responses on specific areas like behaviour, SEND support, and concern handling are more divided.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a theatre, swimming pool, sports hall, astro turf, and music rooms, and runs clubs such as Chess, Coding, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, and Young Enterprise. Its SEND provisions cover a wide spectrum, including a SEN Unit, and support for autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and social, emotional and mental health. However, only 37% of parents responding to the Parent View survey agreed that SEND children get the support they need, with 31% strongly disagreeing. The school has a capacity of 1500 and currently has 1322 pupils on roll, with 45.5% eligible for free school meals. For families in Hastings, this is a school that is heavily oversubscribed and serves a high-needs community, but its recent Ofsted rating and academic outcomes mean it will require careful consideration, particularly for those prioritising strong academic progress and a settled behaviour environment.

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