Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard

Dartford · DA10 1AD

General information Primary School · 2-11 years Who goes here 447 pupils, 15.2% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted: Outstanding

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN Resourced provision · 8.5% on SEN support Behaviour 3.6% absence rate Staff 25.2% turnover Financials £5,927 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard

General Information

Address: Cherry Orchard, Cherry Orchard Road, Ebbsfleet, DA10 1AD – View on map
Phone: 01322242011
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Julie Forsythe
Age range: 2-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 132 families put it first for 59 places – 22 for every 10 places. 44% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 17 · 2024 22 · 2025 21 · 2026 22
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

447 pupils out of 450 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 68
% eligible for free school meals: 15.2%
Pupil mix: 8 in 10 (more mixed than the Dartford average)
English as an additional language: 34% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 25.2% a year (Dartford 16.6%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 18% moved to another school, 82% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Kent: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 21 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 1
Suspensions for bullying: 32 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 1 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Kent (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 3.6%
Persistently absent pupils: 5.4%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

Resourced provision for Speech, language and communication 15 places · 14 pupils at the last count

Places are usually for children with an EHC Plan and are arranged through the council, not the normal school application.

Pupils on SEN Support: 8.5%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 5.8%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 17 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 10 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 10 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 13 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 11 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 1 pupil
Physical disability: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Outstanding 2021 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 83% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 29% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 13 percentage points above the Dartford average (70%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well above (3-year average 81% against an expected 67%)
3-year average (expected standard): 81%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 88% · Writing 85% · Maths 88% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 90%
Average test scores: reading 109, maths 109
Based on: 59 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolDartford averageEngland↗ Improving Up 5 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 13 percentage points above the Dartford average (70%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 5th of 28 junior and primary schools in the area

#3Westgate Primary School90%
#4Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, Dartford85%
=5Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard83%
=5River Mill Primary School83%
=5The Gateway Primary Academy83%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Ebbsfleet Green Primary School97%
#2Leigh Academy Dartford94%
#3Westgate Primary School90%
#4Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, Dartford85%
=5Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard83%
=5River Mill Primary School83%
=5The Gateway Primary Academy83%
=8Maypole Primary School80%
=8Wilmington Primary School80%
=10Dartford Bridge Community Primary School79%
=10St Anselm's Catholic Primary School79%
#12The Craylands School76%
#13Greenlands Primary School73%
=14Oakfield Primary Academy70%
=14Stone St Mary's CofE Primary School70%
#16West Hill Primary Academy68%
=17Sedley's Church of England Primary School67%
=17Sutton-At-Hone Church of England Primary School67%
#19Manor Community Primary School66%
#20Fleetdown Primary Academy64%
=21Bean Primary School63%
=21Joydens Wood Junior School63%
=23Knockhall Primary School62%
=23The Brent Primary School62%
=23Wentworth Primary School62%
#26Temple Hill Primary Academy60%
#27Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, Dartford56%
#28Langafel Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School35%

View full Ofsted inspection report

1st of 21 primary schools in Dartford for Ofsted rating

#1Leigh Academy Cherry OrchardOutstanding
#2Bean Primary SchoolGood
#3Dartford Bridge Community Primary SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Leigh Academy Cherry OrchardOutstanding
#2Bean Primary SchoolGood
#3Dartford Bridge Community Primary SchoolGood
#4Ebbsfleet Green Primary SchoolGood
#5Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, DartfordGood
#6Leigh Academy DartfordGood
#7Manor Community Primary SchoolGood
#8Oakfield Primary AcademyGood
#9Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, DartfordGood
#10River Mill Primary SchoolGood
#11Sedley's Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#12Stone St Mary's CofE Primary SchoolGood
#13Sutton-At-Hone Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#14The Brent Primary SchoolGood
#15The Craylands SchoolGood
#16The Gateway Primary AcademyGood
#17Wentworth Primary SchoolGood
#18Westgate Primary SchoolGood
#19Wilmington Primary SchoolGood
#20Greenlands Primary SchoolRequires improvement
#21Langafel Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolRequires improvement

Financials

Spending per pupil: £5,927 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

12th of 27 primary schools in Dartford for spending per pupil

#10Bean Primary School£6,152
#11The Gateway Primary Academy£6,029
#12Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard£5,927
#13Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, Dartford£5,916
#14Greenlands Primary School£5,897

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Langafel Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School£9,040
#2River Mill Primary School£7,109
#3Knockhall Primary School£6,902
#4The Craylands School£6,885
#5Oakfield Primary Academy£6,444
#6Temple Hill Primary Academy£6,376
#7Sedley's Church of England Primary School£6,364
#8Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, Dartford£6,176
#9St Anselm's Catholic Primary School£6,164
#10Bean Primary School£6,152
#11The Gateway Primary Academy£6,029
#12Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard£5,927
#13Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, Dartford£5,916
#14Greenlands Primary School£5,897
#15Ebbsfleet Green Primary School£5,874
#16Wentworth Primary School£5,848
#17Sutton-At-Hone Church of England Primary School£5,814
#18West Hill Primary Academy£5,469
#19Westgate Primary School£5,396
#20Wilmington Primary School£5,333
#21Maypole Primary School£5,226
#22Leigh Academy Dartford£5,146
#23Stone St Mary's CofE Primary School£5,067
#24Fleetdown Primary Academy£5,000
#25Manor Community Primary School£4,576
#26Dartford Bridge Community Primary School£4,324
#27The Brent Primary School£4,310

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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