Leigh (E02003289) is part of Southend on Sea local authority (view on map). Leigh has an approximate population of 9,800 people, of which 17% are children 15 years old and under. It is classified as "urban: nearer to a major town or city".
Leigh neighbours Belfairs, Blenheim Park, West Leigh, and Chalkwell.
Local area pages are based on the middle-layer super output areas (MSOAs) distributed across the country. MSOAs comprise between 2,000 and 6,000 households and have a resident population of, generally, between 5,000 and 15,000 people. MSOAs fit within local authorities. For each area, descriptive statistics are compared with local authority and national averages. For more information about MSOAs, please visit the Office for National Statistics website.
The data displayed is sourced from:
Leigh is the 3rd least deprived area in Southend on Sea (out of 17) with 16% of children living in low-income families, compared to 38% across Southend on Sea and 38% nationally.
Information acquired from the school census.
In Leigh, 11% of state-funded pupils are eligible for free school meals, compared to 25% in Southend on Sea and 27% nationally.
| % in Leigh | % in Southend on Sea | % in England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eligible for free school meals | 11% | 25% | 27% |
| Not eligible for free school meals | 89% | 75% | 73% |
In Leigh, 13% of pupils in state-funded settings have special educational needs (SEN), compared to 18% in Southend on Sea, and 19% nationally.
This includes the number of pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan and the number of pupils with SEN support.
| % in Leigh | % in Southend on Sea | % in England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No special educational needs | 88% | 82% | 81% |
| Receiving special educational needs support | 9% | 13% | 14% |
| With an education, health, and care plan (EHCP) | 4% | 5% | 5% |
In Leigh, 12% of pupils are from a minority ethnic background, compared to 32% in Southend on Sea, and 33% nationally.
Percentages may not sum to 100%, due to small values being suppressed.
| % in Leigh | % in Southend on Sea | % in England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 87% | 68% | 67% |
| Asian | 3% | 13% | 14% |
| Black | 3% | 9% | 7% |
| Mixed | 6% | 8% | 7% |
| Other | – | 1% | 3% |
| Not known | 1% | 1% | 2% |
The percentage of pupils in Leigh with English as an additional language is 5%, compared with 15% in Southend on Sea, and 22% nationally.
Numbers may not sum to 100%, due to a small number of pupils with an unclassified language.
| % in Leigh | % in Southend on Sea | % in England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Known or believed to be other than English | 5% | 15% | 22% |
| Known or believed to be English | 94% | 85% | 78% |
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Leigh has 12 registered childcare providers.
| Type | Number in Leigh |
|---|---|
| All childcare providers | 12 |
| Childminders | 2 |
| Pre-school/day nursery/out-of-school care | 10 |
There have been no inspections of childcare providers in Leigh since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.
Leigh has 3 state-funded schools.
| Type | Number in Leigh |
|---|---|
| All state-funded schools | 3 |
| Nursery schools | 0 |
| Primary and all-through schools | 3 |
| Secondary and all-through schools | 0 |
| Special schools | 0 |
| Registered alternative provision | 0 |
In Leigh, there has been 1 full inspection of schools since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.
Under the renewed education inspection framework, schools are evaluated on the following areas:
The evaluation scale for each evaluation area, other than safeguarding, is:
Achievement: 1 was graded 'strong standard' (of 1).
Attendance and behaviour: 1 was graded 'strong standard' (of 1).
Curriculum and teaching: 1 was graded 'strong standard' (of 1).
Early years: There have been no inspections of Early years in Leigh so no outcomes are available for this area.
Inclusion: 1 was graded 'strong standard' (of 1).
Leadership and governance: 1 was graded 'strong standard' (of 1).
Personal development and wellbeing: 1 was graded 'strong standard' (of 1).
Post-16 provision: There have been no inspections of Post-16 provision in Leigh so no outcomes are available for this area.
The tables below show the outcomes of inspections of state-funded schools in Leigh. The tables are split by provider type, and show the number of inspections that have taken place for each area, and the outcomes of those inspections.
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Attendance and behaviour | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Early years | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Personal development and wellbeing | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Post-16 provision | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Attendance and behaviour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Early years | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Personal development and wellbeing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Post-16 provision | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Attendance and behaviour | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Early years | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Personal development and wellbeing | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Post-16 provision | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Attendance and behaviour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Early years | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Personal development and wellbeing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Post-16 provision | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Attendance and behaviour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Early years | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Personal development and wellbeing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Post-16 provision | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Attendance and behaviour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Early years | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Personal development and wellbeing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Post-16 provision | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Data sources: