Following recent news that Leigh Academy Dartford has been invited by HM King Charles to attend his summer Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, it has been revealed that a second Leigh Academies Trust academy has also been invited. The event is to celebrate the work of schools providing educational excellence in their communities, especially for vulnerable pupils.
Longfield was LAT’s second school. Its partnership with the Trust’s founding academy in 2008, formed the basis upon which the rest of the Trust was built. It is now a heavily oversubscribed secondary occupying state-of-the-art accommodation, led by Dr Felix Donkor since January 2021.
Longfield is a highly inclusive academy and includes the Spectrum Centre for 40 pupils with an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) for autism. In 2024, its SEN pupils with an EHCP achieved a remarkable Progress 8 score at GCSE of +0.24, well above average for all pupils nationally and locally and substantially higher than for this group of pupils generally. This is a consequence of the particularly sector-leading work it does for pupils with SEN to raise expectations and ensure that they achieve well.
Longfield also has one of the most successful sixth forms of any non-selective schools in Kent. It has been validated as “Outstanding” by Ofsted in two consecutive inspections. In 2024, pupils across all qualification types achieved a positive value added score which included +0.02 for academic programmes and an especially impressive, +0.32 for applied general programmes. As a consequence of the excellent teaching they receive, students perform particularly well at Longfield compared to local and national averages by the time they leave the academy in year 13.
This recognition by HM King Charles of Longfield Academy is an endorsement of the superb work of the academy and its staff over time to provide an excellent and inclusive education for young people, regardless of their circumstances.
