| Motto | Act Enterprisingly, Work in Partnership, Achieve Excellence |
|---|---|
| Established | 2008 |
| CEO | Frank Green |
| Founder | Sir Geoffrey Leigh |
| Location | Green Street Green Road Dartford Kent DA1 1QE England |
| Students | 1455 |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Ages | 11–19 |
| Houses | Brunel , Chaucer , Darwin , DaVinci |
| Previous names | The Downs School, The Leigh City Technology College |
| Website | www.leighacademy.org.uk |
The Leigh Technology Academy is a state funded academy for the Dartford area of Kent, England. The current CEO of Leigh Technology Academy is Frank Green, who was previously the principal of the school when it was considered a City Technology College from 1997 to 2007. Prior to 1997, the Leigh was The Downs School.
The Leigh Technology Academy occupies the former site of the Downs secondary school. In 1990 it became the Leigh City Technology College.
The Leigh City Technology College was one of the first places in the UK to house a Cisco Regional Academy. The school has offered the Cisco Certified Network Associate course for over eight years and has set landmarks for the CCNA course within the UK. Additional courses such as Red Hat qualifications are taught and examined at the academy as well as the individual elements of the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer program.
In September 2007 the organization became an academy and changes were implemented, affecting the structure of the management system.
After just a few weeks of operation the academy began to attract criticism from parents who were concerned about the large class sizes. Noise levels and lack of attention were among the points addressed.
In January 2008 the building work on the academy's new site was completed and on 21 January 2008 the staff and students moved in. The official opening of the academy took place on 23 June 2008. Many high-profile guests came to see the new building and the students within the academy, including the founder of the school, Sir Geofrey Leigh, and Olympian Sebastian Coe.
The academy is split into four colleges: Brunel, Da Vinci, Darwin and Chaucer. Each college has its own principal, vice principal, and senior management. This structure is intended to create smaller, closer-knit communities.