Leigh Academy Paddock Wood is a Community School for boys and girls of all abilities from 4 – 11 years of age. We are a three form entry school with a published admission number (PAN) of 90 children per year group. Leigh Academies Trust is the Admissions Authority of the Academy. Applications for places will be made in accordance with Kent County Council’s co-ordinated admissions scheme and timetable.
Our academy is a fun and inspirational place with brightly coloured, modern classrooms, which provide a stimulating and lively setting for learning. Our interactive IT facilities bring the widest reaches of the planet to our classrooms.
We boast a well-stocked library and separate International Baccalaureate inquiry centre, as well as specialist equipment in the arts and outdoor learning. Pupils develop confidence, presence and a passion to perform with our specialist music, dance and drama teacher. They develop stamina, perseverance and how to take measured risks when learning skiing, mountain biking and rock climbing, as part of our core PE offer.
All of our pupils are aspiring Global Citizens, and as well as learning French in its own right, they quite uniquely learn other weekly subjects, such as art and science, in French. Our growing and highly skilled languages team includes fluent and native speakers of French, German, Italian and Spanish.
Welcome to Leigh Academy Paddock Wood.
We are a large three form entry Primary School situated in Paddock Wood. We pride ourselves on being at the heart of the community. As the Principal of Leigh Academy Paddock Wood, I am honoured to serve a community with so much tradition, culture, ambition and love for their children.
We deliver a broad and balanced curriculum, enriched through our after school clubs and co-curricular activities which are made accessible to all. As an IB World School, our curriculum provision is enhanced further through the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP). It is an aspirational high quality inquiry-led learning framework, where the National Curriculum is delivered through in-context experiences. Through the IB PYP curriculum framework, children are encouraged to be risk-takers, life-long learners and global citizens.
We believe that there are no limits to what we can achieve when we work together. Our values of ‘aspire, respect and persevere’ permeate through everything we say and do. Our academy is dedicated to creating a safe and inclusive learning environment where every child can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. We believe in nurturing the whole child and encouraging our children to explore their interests and passions and achieving excellence.
Leigh Academy Paddock Wood’s latest Ofsted inspection took place in November 2023 and the school received a classification of ‘Good‘ for overall effectiveness.
We recognise that our partnership with you in the education of your children is without a doubt the most important key to success. As such, we welcome and encourage all aspects of communication between our academy and parents and carers. We place great value on individual and regular contact. Our home/school agreement ensures that we achieve our targets in learning outcomes, behaviour and attendance. In addition, we make best use of consultation evenings, email/text updates and termly reports to keep parents informed of pupils’ progress and welfare.
Our Curriculum is framed by the IB PYP. IB PYP is an international, all-subjects programme designed to foster the development of the whole child. It spans hearts and minds and encompasses pupils’ social, physical, emotional and cultural needs, in addition to their academic welfare.
Our highly creative Primary Years curriculum provides pupils with experiences that encourage a life-long love of learning. Through imaginative learning and teaching, our pupils are challenged to think outside the box, have a fearless approach to making mistakes and take their own learning in exciting new directions. Aiming high in everything we do sits at the heart of life inside our classrooms. We work with our pupils to build a strong work ethic and to set the bar high, in terms of drive and ambition. Our very well-established early literacy and numeracy programmes ensure that we set a solid foundation for this.
As pupils progress, they build up and harness a range of skills for life. Our pupils take risks with learning, build on exciting knowledge and understanding, develop outstanding communication, are discerning in their research, and present with confidence, good humour and flair. In our academy these are the cornerstones of our IB PYP curriculum and practice.
Our academy places great importance on the role that high quality, relevant homework plays in achievement. We see homework as integral to learning.
The current climate presents its own challenges however we have strived to ensure that the transition between in-school and home learning is seamless. Wherever possible our whole curriculum is aligned with Google Classrooms – an online resource that your child can access anywhere and at any time. Using the Google platform, we are able to set and mark work as well as conduct some video lessons. We are increasingly introducing digital exercise books, assessment feedback and online tutorials to enhance pupils’ learning experience. Our academy prides itself on a current 93% digital engagement among families and our clear strategy and ambition to 100%.
British values permeate every part of the work of our academy and we recognise and promote them in everything we do. These are democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs.
Our pupils interact readily with the local area as part of their core learning. Pupils explore the geographical diversity of Kent, including its agricultural and defence heritage and coastline, to develop a strong sense of identity in terms of time and place.
In normal times we utilise our minibuses almost every day. With the Capital on our doorstep, classes bring learning to life through visits to world-class exhibitions and events. Our pupils frequently enjoy the thrill and excitement of national sports events and West-End theatre, where they develop high levels of self-confidence and social awareness.
Year 5 embrace the great outdoors, in the remote and barren Brecon Beacons. There they experience the comparative extremes of team-building in underground caverns and kayaking in semi-frozen canals. We do further trips in all year groups linked to our Inquiries which give children the opportunity to experience and develop our Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural opportunities.
Previously our academy has worked towards developing a new global link with Guangzhou, China.
Our well-travelled and highly experienced teaching team bring knowledge, culture and first-hand practice from more than 20 countries around the globe. We use this to shape the hearts, minds and ambition of our pupils in Paddock Wood:
We believe that a rewards culture promotes and encourages maximum achievement. Pupils who demonstrate effort, dedication and a commitment to their learning can earn points through our House and merit systems. Our weekly celebration assemblies recognise the successes, hard work and citizenship of our pupils.
Our Pupil Council ensures that every pupil has their say on issues around the school. Our Head Boy and Head Girl, along with other elected members, represent ‘pupil voice’ on important issues such as uniform, catering, the way we use our buildings and grounds, and even interviewing new teachers. Our Pupil Council is awarded a whole-academy ‘impact and improvement’ project to complete each year, with a typical budget of £15-£20k.
