Limehurst Academy

Limehurst Academy is a happy and inclusive secondary school in Loughborough, part of The East Midlands Education Trust. Inspectors found it is performing at the expected standard across most areas, with personal development and wellbeing judged as strong. Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils are well supported in a caring, respectful community.

Strengths

• Highly effective pastoral support is embedded across school life.
• Personal development and wellbeing provision is a notable strength.
• Purposeful PSHE builds pupils' knowledge of modern Britain, health and safety.
• Careers education is precisely designed and prepares pupils well for next steps.
• A wide range of enrichment activities is accessible to all pupils.
• The school has an inclusive culture where diversity is valued and discrimination is proactively addressed.
• Behaviour is calm and respectful, supported by clear routines and high expectations.
• Staff and pupils have positive, supportive relationships.
• Effective support helps pupils secure foundational skills such as reading.
• Governance and trust support are strong, and staff feel valued and supported.
• Attendance is improving gradually due to leaders' focus and personalised support.
• Pupils achieve securely across the curriculum, with Progress 8 above national in recent years.
• Disadvantaged pupils' progress has been above national averages in recent years.
• Safeguarding standards are met through an open and positive culture.
• Leaders use alternative provision thoughtfully and monitor vulnerable pupils closely.

Areas for Improvement

• Overall attendance remains below national averages, although it is improving.
• Some teaching activities do not provide effective support or challenge, slowing progress for some pupils.
• Information and strategies for some pupils with SEND are not precise enough, limiting their progress.
• Curriculum planning is not consistently precise in all subjects regarding key knowledge and vocabulary.
• Monitoring and evaluation are not consistently rigorous and precise across all areas.
• Some pupils are not achieving as highly as they could.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Limehurst Academy attended 90.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 26.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 5.1% of pupils at Limehurst Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Limehurst Academy had 15.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 14.3% of pupils at Limehurst Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Limehurst Academy received £8,431 and spent £8,370 for each of its 654 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £271,000 (£414 per pupil).

Across all 23 schools of East Midlands Education Trust, income was £7,496 and spending £7,400 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Loughborough · Leicestershire local authority: places and applications

Limehurst Academy is part of East Midlands Education Trust, which runs 23 schools. The nearest others:

• Castle Donington College Derby
• The South Wolds Academy & Sixth Form Nottingham
• The West Bridgford School Nottingham
• Chellaston Infant School Derby
• Chellaston Junior School Derby
• Oak Grange Primary School Derby
• Homefields Primary School Derby
• Mornington Primary School Nottingham
• Kimberley Primary School Nottingham
• Awsworth Primary and Nursery School Nottingham

What is Limehurst Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Limehurst Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Limehurst Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Limehurst Academy was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Limehurst Academy have?

Limehurst Academy has 656 pupils on roll.

What age range does Limehurst Academy cover?

Limehurst Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Limehurst Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 46.4, and 47% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Limehurst Academy?

Limehurst Academy is at Bridge Street, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 1NH.