Melton Mowbray’s state schools get lower results than 85% of towns in England
At Key Stage 2, 53% of pupils at Melton Mowbray’s primaries met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, below both Leicestershire’s towns (62%) and towns in England (62%). 10 state-funded schools are located in Melton Mowbray’s built-up area. Melton Mowbray grades C− for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #42 of 50 in Leicestershire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Melton Mowbray’s secondary results beat 27% of English towns; its primary results beat 15%. 53% of the large town’s 11-year-olds meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England and 62% across Leicestershire. Every school’s result ↓
One trust runs much of it
10 of Melton Mowbray’s 10 state schools belong to 7 academy trusts. Mowbray Education Trust Limited runs 4 of them, including John Ferneley College: 1,170 of the 2,100 secondary pupils. Who runs them ↓
Popular schools are full
3 of 8 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as their official capacity, including John Ferneley College and Long Field Spencer among the secondaries. A full school gives places by its admissions rules, usually by distance after siblings. Getting a place ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Melton Mowbray grades C− for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (53% meet the standard)Better than 15% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (42.4 and 39%)Better than 27% of towns in England
Each of Melton Mowbray’s 6 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)
England’s average schoolLeicestershire’s average school
The primary figure: 6 primaries in the town, 870 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 2 secondaries in the town, 415 pupils in results. Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Map
Where Melton Mowbray’s 10 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Melton Mowbray’s built-up area.
PrimarySecondary (named)Special, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table. The 2 secondaries are named.
Results and intake
Which schools do better than their intake suggests
Schools with more pupils on free school meals tend to get lower results. The dashed line is the typical school in England for each level of free school meals; the band holds the middle two-thirds. A dot above the band is doing better than schools like it.
Primaries: KS2 reading, writing and maths against free school meals
The share of pupils on free school meals runs from 16% at Brownlow Primary School to 59% at The Grove Primary School. 0 of 6 primaries are above the line.
Free school meals: pupils eligible now, DfE January 2026 census. The typical-school line is a straight-line fit across every graded school in England. It describes; it doesn’t grade: the School Grade uses results alone.
Getting a place
How school places work in Melton Mowbray
Leicestershire County Council handles applications for every state school in Melton Mowbray, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 2 of Melton Mowbray’s 8 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 3 schools are at or over it.
Long Field Spencer116%
John Ferneley College106%
Sherard incl. nursery105%
Brownlow87%
St Mary's85%
Swallowdale School and Community Centre84%
The Grove70%
Saint Francis incl. nursery63%
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
The schools
10 state schools in Melton Mowbray
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Letters of Melton Mowbray’s schoolsA0B1C5D22 without a letter
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted
Ofsted inspections
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Good 3Requires improvement 1Ungraded inspection only 5No published grade 1
Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 0 of Melton Mowbray’s 10 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
Who runs them
7 academy trusts
Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.
Run by
Schools
Pupils
Their letters
Mowbray Education Trust LimitedJohn Ferneley College, Brownlow, Sherard, The Grove
4
2,317
C−CC+D
Spencer Academies TrustLong Field Spencer
1
930
C+
Nova Education TrustMelton Vale Sixth Form College
1
533
—
Bradgate Education PartnershipSwallowdale School and Community Centre
1
351
D
Discovery Schools Academies Trust LtdBirch Wood (Melton Area Special School)
1
246
—
St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Multi Academy TrustSaint Francis
1
197
B−
Rise Multi Academy TrustSt Mary's
1
179
C−
After 16
Where Melton Mowbray’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
1 of Melton Mowbray’s 2 state secondaries has a sixth form: Long Field Spencer. Melton Vale Sixth Form College is a state 16–19 school in the large town.
Secondaries with a sixth form
1 of 2
state schools in Melton Mowbray
Colleges within 12 miles
0
further-education and sixth-form colleges
Grammar schools in Leicestershire
0
no selective state secondaries
Special needs
Special schools and alternative provision in Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray has 1 special school (Birch Wood (Melton Area Special School): 246 pupils). A special-school place isn’t applied for like a mainstream one: for a child with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), Leicestershire County Council names the school in the plan, after asking the family’s preference. These schools have no letter, because their results don’t compare with mainstream schools’. Their cards ↑
Leicestershire County Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Towns its size
216th of 248 English towns of 19,000 to 37,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Melton Mowbray, and the top and bottom of the group.
Rearsby 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 7.1 mi
D
58%
39.1
Langham 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 7.5 mi
A−
67%
49.7
East Goscote 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 7.9 mi
C
62%
39.1
Queniborough 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 8.2 mi
C
62%
41.6
Barleythorpe 0 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 8.3 mi
A−
66%
49.7
Langham has the best-graded schools nearby (A−). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
•
Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
•
Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Melton Mowbray: 3% (England’s average school: 8%).
•
Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
•
Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
•
Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
•
Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
•
Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
•
Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Melton Mowbray
Are schools in Melton Mowbray good?
Melton Mowbray’s state schools earn a C− against schools across England: primary results beat 15% of towns in England; secondary results beat 27% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Leicestershire council.
What is the best secondary school in Melton Mowbray?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, Long Field Spencer Academy: Attainment 8 of 43.4 and 46% with grade 5+ in English and maths, against 47.3 at the average school in England. Results are one measure; distance decides most places.
What is the best primary school in Melton Mowbray?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Saint Francis Catholic Primary School: 61% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Melton Mowbray secondary schools have sixth forms?
1 of 2 do.
How do I apply for a school place in Melton Mowbray?
Through Leicestershire County Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many schools in Melton Mowbray are full?
3 of 8 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as places, on DfE’s January 2026 census. A full school still admits by its rules, usually distance after siblings.
How many state schools are in Melton Mowbray?
10 open state-funded schools are located in Melton Mowbray’s built-up area: 6 primary, 2 secondary and 2 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
