Our Story
Step into something special.
At Leigh Primary School, learning is an adventure, curiosity is celebrated, and every child is known, valued and inspired to shine. Nestled in the heart of our beautiful village, our school is more than just a place to learn — it’s a thriving community where children grow in confidence, character and creativity every single day.
What makes us unique? We believe we are small enough to feel like family and big enough to inspire big dreams.
We are incredibly proud of our children and the warm, welcoming spirit of our village school — and we would love to share it with you.
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Our Rural Village Setting
Located on beautiful village Green in the beautiful village of Leigh, Kent, Leigh Primary School sits at the heart of its rural community. We are a warm and welcoming community where every child is truly known and valued. Our school lies at the heart of a community, one our children know the value of, are part of and care about. Whether it be playing on the Green, visiting the War Memorial or enjoying celebrations at St Mary's church the community open their arms to our pupils. This truly is a special place to learn and play.
Our beyond the classroom culture
Outdoor learning isn't an add-on. It's central to who we are. Our field, village green, forested areas and developing outdoor classroom provide rich, hands-on opportunities that boost wellbeing, curiosity and cognitive development. Sport plays a similarly important role. Whether it's team games, athletics or cooperative activities, every child is encouraged to participate, compete contribute and celebrate personal progress. Our children engage with countryside walks, are talk by a specialist sport's coach, have tennis coaching at the local tennis club, showcase their dance skills at the STAG theatre annually, swim and the outdoor area is part of their classroom. Competition is key to sports and the children compete with local schools and we are proud of being the champions of District Sports 2 years running. In addition we have a range of clubs at lunchtime and after school to ensure that passions can be pursued.
Our ambition
As we grow ? both in ideas and in the opportunities, we offer ? our ambition stays the same: to give every child the best possible start in their education, helping them leave confident, curious and ready for the next step of their journey. We?re proud of where we are, excited about where we?re going, and grateful for the community that walks alongside us every step of the way. Within 5 years we have installed a bespoke carpentered library and all children have their own library card, have installed a kitchen which provides freshly cooked meals to 2 other local schools in addition to our own, expanded our playground space with tables for lunchtime activities and now we are creating the most inspiring outdoor classroom in Kent. When we set our mind to something we achieve it! The future of our outdoor learning is being written as we speak and we cannot wait for the generations of pupils that will be inspired by the learning experience we provide.
Our identity: personal, ambitious and child-centred
At Leigh Primary School, being small is our strength. With around 160 children across five classes, we don?t ever just see names on a register ? we know every child as an individual and know their unique talents, interests and aspirations. We believe a nurturing start matters. Our early years are rich with play-based exploration and curiosity that lays the foundation for lifelong learning. Every child at Leigh Primary can reach their full potential. We dream big for all our learners and support them to grow academically, socially and emotionally. Education is broader than the classroom and our children build confidence, resilience and a love for challenge. We believe in the importance of children learning in a secure, happy environment where they feel safe, valued and ready to make a positive contribution to society.
Our creative and inspiring curriculum
Having an engagement curriculum is fundamental to children thriving in and out of our classrooms. From our rigorous English curriculum which is rooted in a love of reading, mastery approach to mathematics, seeing each subject as it's own discipline we strive for the highest of standards. We believe a braoad and balanced curriculum is essential to child development. We want children to be creative whether that be in our choir, class performances, art, design and technology and our focus in drawing; we want children to be confident and express themselves. With regard to personal development we want to prepare our children for society and adulthood. We have a rigorous online safety curriculum, moral development and an ability to question the world around them through weekly debate on national and global issues.
Our leadership and teamwork
Our co-headship model, with Jenna Halfhide and Joanne Shobbrook working collaboratively, reflects our wider culture of shared leadership and teamwork. This cohesive leadership, supported by a close-knit experienced staff team, ensures continuity, consistency and a supportive environment for both pupils and adults. We are proud that many of our staff members have worked with us for more than five years and in some cases 10 or 20! This is testament to the community we have created within our school. We?re honest about areas for growth ? whether developing new outdoor learning spaces or continually improving teaching practice ? and we welcome the energy and ideas of pupils, parents and staff working together. It?s this community spirit that makes Leigh Primary School much more than a place of learning: it?s a place of belonging. Our Governing Board and PTA members are regularly in school working with staff or talking to our children. This culture inspires our children, who love coming to school to be together.
