Welcome to Ebbsfleet Academy, where we are committed to doing whatever it takes to make sure all our students receive an outstanding education and achieve exceptional things. We are an extremely ambitious school community and believe there are no excuses for not achieving your absolute potential. We know that you want the very best for your child, a school where they will achieve academic excellence, grow in confidence and develop a skill set that will allow them to excel in the challenging and complex world.
At Ebbsfleet our family approach means we know our students as individuals. We understand their needs and pay close attention to supporting them to be their very best. Our aim is to ensure that through excellent teaching, a rich and varied curriculum and through experiences beyond the classroom, all Ebbsfleet students will not only be immensely happy and enjoy every day at school, but will ultimately have the attributes and qualifications they need for the career or university of their choice. We look forward to working together and to welcoming you and your child to the Ebbsfleet family.
Our ambition is to ensure that all of our students achieve their potential, develop as courteous, confident and capable young people and leave with an education that has fully equipped them to go on to university or the career of their choice.
Ebbsfleet Academy is proud to be a community school. As such we can cater specifically for the learning styles and social needs of our learners. Our curriculum allows students to develop socially, behaviourally and academically at their own pace and in their own unique ways. This reflects positively in our results.
Exam results are only one measure of success. We foster students’ wider interests and skills through a varied programme of extra-curricular activities and student leadership opportunities, all of which are essential to nurturing potential outside the classroom.
We have high expectations of everyone in our school. Our provision includes extension for the most able, as well as targeted support and intervention, to ensure all students achieve to the best of their ability and that they leave Ebbsfleet Academy equipped with the skills needed to excel in today’s world. By working in partnership with all stakeholders, especially parents and carers, we have created a dynamic and innovative learning environment.
By applying to Ebbsfleet Academy, you also become part of Leigh Academies Trust.
The Trust was formed in 2008 with the linking of the Leigh Technology Academy and Longfield Academy under one governing body. Today, we encompass more than 20,000 students between the ages of 2 months and 19 in 33 primary, secondary and special academies including one all-through academy and one grammar school.
Our vision is for Ebbsfleet Academy to become the number one school of choice in the local community. It is to be an oversubscribed school that children walk to, with their friends, a school to which they enjoy coming and one of which they feel proud.
Our vision is of a school characterised by outstanding teaching, lessons that inspire and ignite, where pupils and staff excel, and where the excellent exam results are merely the outcome of the outstanding teaching, rather than the aim in itself.
Our vision is of a school with the highest of standards and expectations, an orderly and respectful environment, of a school where relationships between staff and pupils are exceptionally positive and courteous, and a school where staff are highly fulfilled and feel valued.
Our vision is of a school where all the difficulties and disadvantages of the outside world are left at the school gate. I believe that all pupils can achieve, regardless of post code, and that deprivation does not determine destiny. I believe in a culture that says — “every child, every day, no excuses”. I believe the all-round development of the child is vital, nurturing and educating our pupils to become well-rounded young people, polite, well-mannered, interested in the world around them, in the arts, in culture, in travel, in politics. I believe that an education must equip pupils properly for the real world and for the rest of their lives.
Our academy is centred on raising standards for all pupils, ensuring that the highest of expectations, a consistency in approach and outstanding teaching and learning are the norm for all. Aspiration, achievement and attainment are promoted and celebrated, recognising that each student is an individual, unique and special. We insist upon excellent standards of behaviour including dress, and promote a safe, calm and orderly environment where the focus is on learning. We want our pupils to enjoy coming to school; it is a place where alongside a disciplined environment there is a strong current of care, encouragement and reward.
We have ten academy values that underpin everything we do, aligning with the International Baccalaureate. We are inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective. We believe passionately that we can all achieve our goals and better our futures. We aim to promote in our pupils a strong culture of achievement, aspiration and ambition for success. We endeavour to develop independent, determined and self-motivated individuals, ready to learn for themselves.
Our curriculum is delivered through the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) framework and the development of the IB Learner Profile attributes. This promotes collaborative and co-curricular learning opportunities and is delivered within relevant and purposeful contexts. It is built upon prior learning, and is designed to be challenging, interesting and motivational to all pupils.
The IB Middle Years Programme Curriculum
Ebbsfleet Academy is a Middle Years Programme (MYP) candidate school and deliver this in Key Stage 3, and as such the Teaching and Learning follows the IB philosophy of:
encouraging international-mindedness in our students, starting with a foundation in their own language and culture;
promoting a positive attitude to learning by challenging our students to solve problems, show creativity and resourcefulness, and participate actively in our community;
providing tasks and activities that allow our students to see the connections among the subjects themselves, and between the subjects and real issues;
supporting the development of communication skills to encourage enquiry, understanding and language acquisition, and to allow student reflection and expression; and
emphasising, through the learner profile, the development of the whole student – physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically.
Within the Middle Years Programme at Ebbsfleet Academy students will experience:
Teaching and learning in context – Students learn best when their learning experiences have context and are connected to their lives and the world that they have experienced. Using global contexts, students explore human identity, global challenges and what it means to be internationally-minded.
Conceptual understanding – Concepts are big ideas that have relevance within specific disciplines and across subject areas. Students use concepts as a vehicle to inquire into issues and ideas of personal, local and global significance and examine knowledge holistically.
Approaches to learning (ATL) – A unifying thread throughout all MYP subject groups, approaches to learning provide the foundation for independent learning and encourage the application of their knowledge and skills in unfamiliar contexts. Developing and applying these skills help students learn how to learn. The ATL that are developed are; Communication, Social (Collaboration), Self Management, Research and Thinking.
At Ebbsfleet Academy our core purpose is to inspire our students to believe, achieve and succeed. We celebrate the effort and determination our students show towards their learning. Our curriculum is the vehicle for this success and it is rooted in these key principles;
being rich in powerful knowledge
being academically demanding
creating students who are literate, numerate and digitally literate developing students’ cultural capital
developing global awareness beyond the individual and their immediate community
providing careers guidance in line with the Gatsby benchmarks and ensure all students have a successful onward destination
At the academy, we are committed to improving the life chances and aspirations of pupils and aim to developing global citizens. Our main curriculum, pastoral programme and co-curriculum support the IB learner profile so that all members of the school community learn to respect themselves, others and the world around them. We aim to develop individuals who have an awareness beyond their immediate community, who understand and learn about other cultures and are culturally sensitive to the needs of others. It is our intention that students are resilient to change and challenge, with a strong set of skills developed through the IB learner profile to maximise their independence.
The Key Stage 3 curriculum is broad and balanced, following the International Baccalaureate Middle Years’ Programme (MYP) and this is studied in Years 7, 8 and 9. This ensures students acquire a deep understanding across eight key subject disciplines. To ensure knowledge is fully embedded, lessons are constructed to ensure students are guided and supported, with opportunities skillfully provided to secure the need to recall and retrieve prior learning.
By the end of KS3 students will be prepared to transition to KS4 with an understanding of any threshold knowledge necessary to access the GCSE specification. The MYP learner profile continues to be a core element of our curriculum for Key Stage 4, with courses carefully planned to ensure teachers can provide subject specific guidance and modelling, with curriculum time carefully planned to ensure students are fully prepared for external examinations at the end of the course.
Our Key Stage 5 curriculum is specifically tailored each year to meet the needs of our students. A key feature of our sixth form curriculum is the regular, rigorous independent learning, through which students spend as much time learning outside of the classroom as inside it. In addition to three Level 3 qualifications, all students study an Extended Project Qualification or Core Maths to support their learning.
Key Stage 3 – The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) for Years 7, 8 and 9. The Key Stage 3 curriculum is planned to cover the National Curriculum.
Key Stage 4 – GCSEs, BTECs and other Level 2 vocational qualifications in Years 10 and 11.
Key Stage 5 – A Levels and Applied General Programmes
The curriculum is reviewed and developed to ensure accessibility for all, enabling all students to maximise their progress. Our intention is to ensure pupils make outstanding progress and that the curriculum removes any potential barriers to learning. In line with National guidance, the academy staff engage with Quality First Teaching to support students with special educational needs. The SEND team collaborates closely with teaching staff and leaders to ensure all students have access to a robust curriculum that goes beyond the National Curriculum.
The development of language and literacy skills are paramount and underpin our curriculum. Our aim is to build confidence in communication skills to support student progress in school and prepare them for working life. Our literacy programme includes bespoke time and focus for teaching reading throughout the curriculum. Pupils who have a reading age below their chronological age are supported through interventions to close this gap as quickly as possible. Pupils below expected progress from Primary school are provided with interventions to quickly catch-up through incisive intervention. Our digital strategy ensures students that digital literacy is embedded into each curriculum area and supported via our pastoral programme. Our students are taught to utilise digital access responsibility to enhance their skills ready for the world of work.
To support the core curriculum, our Personal Development programme is fully integrated into academy life. Life Skills (PSHE and RSE) and SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Education) are taught in the tutor time programme, and embedded into our core curriculum subjects. Each pupil develops their character as a whole to ensure they are fully prepared to be outstanding global citizens. Our co-curricular offer enhances the student experience, supporting all aspects of development and contextualises the learning for our students.
Ebbsfleet Academy intends to provide all students with secure foundations for progression into further education and apprenticeships. Full coverage of the Gatsby benchmarks starts from Year 7, with all students receiving regular updates on relevant careers information. High aspirations are instilled in our students to ensure that all students achieve their potential and move forward successfully into their intended career pathway.
The impact of our curriculum can be measured through the following:
Internal and external assessment outcomes throughout all key stages.
Students who join the academy at lower starting points show improvement in literacy and numeracy throughout key stage 3.
Students are able to communicate their learning clearly and effectively.
Students’ work shows pride and progress.
Students are successful at pursuing their preferred destinations.
Students develop a sense of global awareness and environmental responsibility and will be actively engaged in the local community as well as establishing and embedding the knowledge and skills to be effective in an ever-changing world.
Through engaging with the IB Learner profile, students develop confidence, independence and skills for life.
Achieving the Gatsby benchmarks.
For more information on our curriculum, please visit our dedicated page.
The Academy is organised into two Colleges – Attenborough and Seacole. They are names of inspirational leaders who have made a difference to society.
Each College provides pastoral care for approximately 75 students from each year group, led by the Head of College, who is supported by Assistant Heads of College, Heads of Key Stage and Pastoral Leads.
Students in Year 7 to 11 are placed in mixed ability but single year tutor groups and have dedicated tutor time each day where they follow our excellent pastoral curriculum. In Year 7 and 8 students are taught in College class sets, with all students accessing the same academic and pastoral curriculum.
Ebbsfleet Academy actively encourages the competitive element of inter-college competitions through termly events that are linked to all aspects of the Academy life.
Mary Seacole was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1805. Mary’s mother had an interest in herbal medicines, and passed this knowledge on to Mary. In 1850, Kingston was hit by a cholera epidemic, and Mary used herbal medicines to fight this disease, as well as an outbreak of yellow fever. Her fame as a nurse quickly grew, and she was soon carrying out operations on soldiers injured in war. When Mary heard about the cholera outbreak during the Crimean war, she wanted to help, and travelled to London. However, her help was refused. Undeterred, Mary used her own money to travel to Crimea and treated patients on the battlefield.
David Attenborough is a broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author, who is well known for presenting many documentaries about the natural world. As a child, he was very interested in animals, and spent lots of time hunting for fossils. He went on to study Natural Sciences at Cambridge, and received his Masters degree in 1947. He is a great communicator, educator and campaigner, and is one of the most travelled people in history, having visited every continent on Earth. He is the oldest person to have been to the North Pole, and has 10 species of plants and animals named after him.
He has narrated many wildlife documentaries, such as “Life on Earth” and “Blue Planet.”
Student Life
From the moment they start at Ebbsfleet Academy, students study a full range of subjects; all of which are designed to offer them new and exciting opportunities. Our academic curriculum is broad and balanced. It includes a focus on mastery of the basics, with a strong emphasis on literacy and numeracy. The curriculum offers appropriate challenges and support, enthusing students about their learning. It provides numerous and varied opportunities for enrichment and character development, preparing students for life as competent, confident and responsible citizens.
As well as the core subjects of English, maths and science, students have the chance to find their interests and talents across many other disciplines including history, geography, technology, art, textiles, food technology, computer science, PSHE, Spanish, religious studies and PE. When it is time, students choose from this range of subjects, as well as some additional choices, when making their selection for examination subjects in Year 11 and beyond.
We understand the importance of learning and focus on the quality of education to generate maximum impact in the classroom to ensure that the sharing of knowledge is memorable. We recognise that students are both smart and full of potential when they arrive with us and our aim, through delivering quality education, is to support them on their journey through Ebbsfleet Academy so that they leave smarter and prepared for life beyond school.
Communicating effectively and regularly is a priority for all teachers and staff at Ebbsfleet Academy and we are committed to ensuring that you are kept fully informed about your child’s performance. During each academic year you will receive regular updates about your child’s progress and effort as well as information about their attendance and attitude to their learning.
The Chromebook Scheme
The Academy has moved into a new era where all pupils are provided with their own personal 1-1 device. Whilst some form of digital technology and blended learning has been present in the Academy we are now ensuring that our teaching and learning pedagogies are embedding this effectively.
Providing pupils with personal 1-1 devices introduces a new strand to our digital technology strategy where teaching approaches and pedagogies will be enhanced and more effective learning opportunities created. Pupils having their own devices can extend and broaden pupils’ learning environments beyond the classroom, without limitations, to a ‘learn anytime, learn anywhere’ philosophy.
The implementation of digital technologies and use of applications for teaching practitioners are equally broadened, further enhancing the delivery of a broad and balanced curriculum. Opportunities for practitioners to deliver a more cohesive, blended learning approach can be strategically implemented to further differentiate learning, creating more personalised experiences that incorporates pupils to become more digitally able and independent. Providing pupils with the facilities, resources and knowledge to learn via electronic and online media, as well as traditional face-to-face teaching, will ensure that we maximise the best of both aspects to ensure greater personalisation and supporting pupils to become more well rounded learners ready for the next step in their chosen pathway. Students who are adept to using technology throughout their learning and education journey at the Academy will be prepared for Further and Higher Education and to enter the workplace of choice and it will equally prepare those who are keen to study more specialised courses or careers where technology is the focus.
Our digital vision extends to developing our practitioners competencies with digital applications and technologies whereby they have all secured their Google Level 1 certification and those whose role and responsibilities, and some who aspire to, achieve the Google level 2 certification. Creative learning opportunities will be developed by teachers who are technologically minded and digitally skilled and this will be embedded as part of a timely and appropriate CPD programme.
Life Outside the Classroom
Experiencing life outside the classroom – A time to explore and discover
We know that learning does not just take place in the classroom. Ebbsfleet Academy is proud of its extensive and stimulating enrichment programme that promotes students’ all round development. All students have the opportunity to participate in a wide ranging and character building enrichment programme.
Our current programme includes a diverse range of sporting, academic, cultural and creative pursuits, such as archery, cookery and the Duke of Edinburgh scheme. We firmly believe that exciting opportunities not only bring learning to life, but make life long memories and help develop high levels of self-esteem and confidence.
We Transform Lives
Our staff of highly qualified, dynamic teachers care about and believe in every student. They are motivational role models who know how to bring the curriculum to life and inspire success. They have a passion for their specialist subjects and utilise every second they have in front of the students. Through knowing their students and what they need to improve on, in order to be smarter, teachers can share their knowledge, so students are excited by lessons and want to learn more.
Lessons at Ebbsfleet Academy are planned around sharing knowledge and making it memorable. We do what is right for all our students, to raise their self-esteem and increase their expectations to be smarter. We know each of our students and how we can support them on their educational journey through the academy.
High Expectations
We use a range of ways to ensure we understand your child’s progress. We assess the impact of our teaching through formal assessments as well regular testing. Gaining a clear insight into students’ progress means we can constantly evaluate our lessons and personalise our approach.
Homework plays an important role in supporting learning and also in ensuring we help students to be independent and develop important self-management skills. A homework schedule is issued at the start of the year that helps students and their families plan how best to manage learning at home. We use an online platform to set and complete tasks, which means students and their families have constant access to the tasks, deadlines and resources that teachers set.
Our highly experienced learning support staff work alongside students to make sure there are no barriers to their success. Specialist support is promptly put in place to ensure students with additional needs realise their academic and social potential. Throughout their time at Ebbsfleet Academy, each student’s curriculum is complemented by high quality careers education, which aims to open up their aspirations for the future.
Clear Expectations
Ebbsfleet Academy promotes good manners, respect, honesty, integrity and personal responsibility. We expect the highest standards of conduct and good manners at all times. Our view is that lessons will be uninterrupted and that all students have the space and time to focus on maximising their effort to secure exceptional progress.
We aim to promote in our students a strong culture of achievement, aspiration and ambition for success. Our approach to pastoral care and support ensures that we know each student as an individual. Understanding their needs and personality means we can provide the highest levels of personal guidance and development. We recognise that academic achievement and good discipline can only flourish in an atmosphere in which students feel valued and secure.
Over time, our specialist pastoral staff gain an excellent knowledge of the students in their care, monitoring student progress and wellbeing to ensure we are doing everything we can to secure their success. Good behaviour and endeavour are positively promoted and frequently acknowledged by achievement points, praise and rewards including Ebbsfleet Academy ‘Key to Success’ badges. We believe that acknowledging achievements motivates students and plays an important role in academy life.
Wellbeing and Place2Be
Ebbsfleet Academy works with Place2Be, a children’s mental health charity that helps pupils explore their emotions and feel better about themselves. Place2Be gives young people an opportunity within school to express their thoughts and feelings through talking and creative arts activities
Why is Place2Be useful?
Place2Be exists to improve children’s mental health. Sometimes young people can feel particularly sad, confused, scared or angry. Maybe something difficult happened at home, such as losing a family member or parents separating. Or perhaps they’re struggling with something at school, like bullying or exam pressure. This can make them behave differently, lose confidence in themselves or find it difficult to concentrate in class. Place2Be is there to help young people find ways to cope, so their worries don’t get in the way of their friendships, their learning or how they feel about themselves.
What does Place2Be look like at Ebbsfleet Academy?
There are two qualified therapists from Place2Be working at Ebbsfleet Academy. Their role is to oversee the project and work with students, families and staff to provide a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing. Place2Be offers:
One to one counselling
Place2Talk: a lunch time drop in service for all students
Group work, including therapeutic groups and open workshops on specific topic
Parent Partnership to provide support and advice to families
Training and consultation sessions (Place2Think) for school staff
Open Days and Tours
September 2025 Intake
We cannot wait to show you around Ebbsfleet Academy. Coming for a tour will enable you to see learning in action and ask any questions you may have.
More information on our Open Events and Tours of our Year 7 classes will be added soon, check back later.
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