Schools & FE · Report card

Lift Bexleyheath

Inspected 28 Apr 2026 · URN 137138

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Sam Hainey (lead), Barry Blakelock, Christie Ransom, David Bromfield, Lascelles Haughton, Olivia Page, Ray Lau

What we read, and from where

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Achievement verified
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour verified
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching verified
Expected standard
Inclusion verified
Expected standard
Leadership and governance verified
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing verified
Expected standard
Post 16 provision verified
Expected standard
Framework verified
Report card
Inspection datesingle source
28 Apr 2026
Inspectors verified
Barry Blakelock, Christie Ransom, David Bromfield, Lascelles Haughton, Olivia Page, Ray Lau, Sam Hainey
Postcode verified
DA6 7DA
Name on report verified
Lift Bexleyheath
Safeguarding verified
Met
URN verified
137138

Page 1 of 15

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

AchievementExpected
Attendance and behaviourExpected
Curriculum and teachingExpected
InclusionExpected
Leadership and governanceExpected
Personal development and wellbeingExpected
Post 16 provisionExpected

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+62Positivemore positive than 32% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praisehigh-qualityeffectivelyeffectivepositiveconsistentlysecureconfidentsafe

Criticismseriousconcernsseriouslynot sufficientlydisruptionvariationgapsbelow

How the report reads, start to finish

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FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical

Findings1545w+56
Leadership241w+78
Safeguarding51w−11
What needs to improve82w+68

Strengths

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Concerns

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No strong criticism found.

Next steps

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What the report dwells on

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Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages: 15
Words of findings: 1,916; about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level: Hard; Flesch 49, typical 43
Average sentence: 14 words
Next steps: 3; typical 3
Hedged sentences: 9%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 49%Leadership 8%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 3%About the inspection 39%

Full report text

Lift Bexleyheath

Address: Woolwich Road, Bexleyheath, Kent, DA6 7DA Unique reference number (URN): 137138

p.1

Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

p.1

Achievement Expected standard

Typically, over the last 3 years, pupils’ achievement in national examinations at the end of Year 11 has been close to the national average. Disadvantaged pupils have consistently achieved close to the national average over time. In some areas, achievement was below average in 2025. Leaders know the reasons for this and have taken decisive action to address them.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities generally achieve in line with the goals that are set for them. This includes pupils who have social, emotional and mental health needs. These pupils also make gains in their personal development.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

Typically, current pupils secure the knowledge and skills they need across the curriculum. They produce high-quality written work and apply their learning with improving confidence and accuracy. Across the school, pupils make gains in their reading skills over time. While some pupils with high prior attainment do not make as much progress as they could, overall, pupils are effectively prepared for their next stages of education, employment or training.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Everyone has a role to play in supporting pupils’ attendance. Leaders carefully track attendance and are quick to spot when they need to take further action. Their approach helps to ensure that pupils’ attendance improves over time. Attendance is now consistently close to the national average, including for different groups of pupils and for students in the sixth form. Leaders make effective use of additional funding to help ensure that disadvantaged pupils attend school regularly.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils behave well. They have very positive attitudes to learning. The school is calm and orderly. Routines are embedded. This helps pupils settle down to learning quickly. They are punctual for the start of the school day and to lessons. Staff have positive working relationships with pupils. They treat pupils with respect and kindness. Pupils are confident that any reported bullying, name-calling or discrimination is taken seriously. Staff take care to give pupils the support they need to help them be ready to learn and adapt their behaviour if needed. Leaders use suspensions appropriately. Their actions have significantly reduced the number of these over time. This includes for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, for whom behaviour approaches are adjusted if necessary.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of strengths and areas that need to be better in relation to the curriculum and how it is taught. The trust helps leaders to work towards their priorities, for example through its programme of curriculum support and staff training.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Overall, teachers know their subjects well. Typically, they give clear explanations and help pupils to apply their knowledge and understanding to purposeful activities. Teachers promote discussion during lessons and pupils happily share ideas. This helps them to strengthen their understanding.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

‘Prep time’ is typically an effective learning experience for pupils. For example, it is used to enable pupils to build up their confidence in the basics of reading and mathematics. This includes phonics teaching for those pupils who need it to help them read fluently.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Occasionally, there is variation in the quality of teaching. This generally relates to how well teachers check pupils’ understanding and adapt their teaching to meet pupils’ needs. For example, sometimes, pupils with high starting points are not sufficiently challenged to deepen their learning. Leaders know this and work is underway to develop teachers' expertise.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

The school serves its diverse community well. Leaders and staff use a range of methods effectively to identify any barriers that may impact pupils’ learning or wellbeing. These include checks for any gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills when they start at the school. Where pupils’ needs and/or barriers to learning are identified, leaders prioritise putting the right support in place.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Staff know pupils well. This is helped by the range of information that leaders share with them, for example about pupils’ special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This information is updated regularly. Leaders recognise that there is variation in how effectively staff use the information. Sometimes, for example, the adaptations teachers make to support pupils with SEND are not as helpful as they could be in boosting pupils' progress.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders work particularly well with external agencies to ensure pupils receive appropriate help. For example, these partnerships support the wellbeing of pupils known to social care and enable some pupils to access suitable alternative provision.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders check that their decisions on how best to help pupils work as planned. This includes checking whether their use of additional funding makes a difference to disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes.

p.3

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders know their school. The trust's central team fully supports leaders’ work. The trust has an accurate understanding of what the school does well and what needs to be even better. Those responsible for governance fulfil their role and statutory responsibilities effectively. This includes carrying out robust checks on how well the school keeps pupils safe.

p.3

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff are very positive about working at the school. They value how leaders consider their wellbeing and workload when they make decisions. Teachers who are new to the profession are well supported. Leaders match staff training to the school’s improvement priorities carefully. There is a shared ambition across the school about what needs to improve. However, sometimes, leaders’ checks on the impact of their work are not as insightful as they could be. Leaders have a detailed understanding of their local community. They are visible in the local area, for example after school. Leaders are highly responsive in their work with external agencies, such as the local authority, to ensure that the school is a safe and inclusive environment.

p.3

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have further improved their engagement with parents and carers, for example through ‘inclusion drop-in clinics’ and ‘expert-led coffee mornings’. Regular communication about school life keeps families informed about local issues and signposts them to possible help and guidance. Leaders use surveys to gauge how pupils, staff and parents feel about the school. Overall, leaders are doing the right things to improve pupils’ outcomes and experiences.

p.4

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders ensure that pupils have access to a range of personal development opportunities. These include ‘personal development’ lessons and extra-curricular experiences. The curriculum covers the essential knowledge pupils need to learn on relationships and sex education and health education, and citizenship. In addition, pupils benefit from regular assemblies that help them to understand a range of age-appropriate topics. These include stereotypes, misogyny and respect for difference. Pupils' knowledge of the taught content is generally secure. They know a lot about online safety, for example. In some topic areas, such as healthy lifestyles and world religions, pupils' knowledge is less detailed.

p.4

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The extra-curricular offer includes clubs in areas such as sport, the arts and debating. Many pupils take part in these activities, although take-up among sixth-form students, while improving, is not high. That said, sixth-form students have other opportunities to develop their skills, talents and character. For example, they work with younger pupils, supporting them with their reading. Leaders make sure that all pupils can benefit from what is available. This includes using additional funding to enable pupils to access educational visits. The range of visits on offer helps to ensure that pupils are exposed to the arts and learn about different cultures.

p.4

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders provide effective wellbeing support for pupils who need it. They reach out to external professionals quickly when a pupil needs additional help or guidance. Leaders work well with a range of agencies to help prevent any small problems pupils may face from becoming more serious. Pastoral care is a strength of the school’s provision.

p.4

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils learn a lot about careers. This includes information about different routes into work, such as apprenticeships, and access to work experience. Pupils hear regularly from a range of external speakers about the world of work. Overall, pupils are well prepared for life after school.

p.4

Post 16 provision Expected standard

The sixth-form study programme covers a range of different subjects. Leaders have added new qualifications, such as economics and cyber-security, to the offer. Typically, teachers deliver subject content with confidence. They use a range of strategies to challenge and support students with their learning. Occasionally, the feedback students receive is not as helpful as it could be in moving their learning on. Students’ overall achievement in work-related courses at the end of Year 13 is more consistently secure than it is at A level. That said, current students on A-level courses produce high-quality work and show secure understanding. This is evident in a range of subjects, including English, chemistry, art and sociology.

p.4

Post 16 provision Expected standard

Most students benefit from high-quality work experience that matches their career goals and aspirations. Leaders have recently reviewed careers guidance in the sixth form. This is part of their effective work to help more students achieve suitable next steps in education, employment or training when the time comes to leave school.

p.5

Post 16 provision Expected standard

Students who face additional barriers are particularly well known to staff. Leaders help students to access bursaries and external support when needed. Students benefit from an enrichment offer that complements their academic studies. This includes sports-related activities and leadership opportunities.

p.5