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The St Leonards Academy

Hastings, TN38 8HHSecondaryAges 11–16MixedState
Ofsted Inspection
Ofsted inspected
4 Requires improvement
Jan 2025
Progress 8
-1.22
Well below average
−20+2
Competition
0.9×
Not oversubscribed
258 1st-choice / 282 places
Ranking
#3,073
of 3,141 nationally

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.

Key Details

School TypeSecondary (State)
Age Range11 to 16 years
GenderMixed
Religious CharacterDoes not apply
AddressEdinburgh Campus,, St Leonards-on-Sea, Hastings, TN38 8HH
HeadteacherJon Francies
Local AuthorityEast Sussex
Number of Pupils1,322
Free School Meals (FSM)45.5%
School Capacity1,322 / 1,500 (88% full)

The full report on this school

What 155 parents told Ofsted, the inspection in plain English, and how this school compares to nearby alternatives — all in one full school report.

  • Ofsted inspection in plain English
    Strengths, concerns and what inspectors flagged
  • Parent View survey results
    What parents told Ofsted — when the school has 10+ responses
  • Where Ofsted and parents disagree
    Gaps to probe + questions to ask at the open day
  • Admissions & catchment
    Admission criteria, distance cutoffs (where the LA publishes them)
  • Nearby schools compared
    Backup options with Ofsted, demand and distance
  • Attendance & behaviour data
    Persistent absentees, suspensions and exclusions vs national
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Ofsted Inspection Breakdown

28 Jan 2025
View Report
Quality of Education
Inadequate
Behaviour & Attitudes
Inadequate
Personal Development
Inadequate
Leadership & Management
Inadequate

From September 2024, Ofsted no longer assigns a single overall grade in inspections of state-funded schools.

Source: Ofsted, 29 Apr 2025. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.

SEND Support

SEN Unit
AutismMental HealthSpeech & LanguageHearingVisionPhysicalLearning DifficultySEN UnitOther

Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.

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Frequently Asked Questions About The St Leonards Academy

The St Leonards Academy has been rated "Inadequate" by Ofsted. This means the school has been identified as needing significant improvement. Ofsted will monitor the school closely.