South Wigston High School

South Wigston High School is a smaller-than-average secondary school in Wigston, Leicestershire, part of Learning Without Limits Academy Trust. This full inspection found a school that has improved markedly under current leadership, with a positive culture built on ambition, determination and respect. Safeguarding standards are met. Most areas of provision—attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development—are judged to be at the expected standard. Strengths include warm staff-pupil relationships, clear behaviour routines that have significantly reduced suspensions, a well-planned curriculum with consistent teaching approaches, strong inclusion systems, and effective pastoral support. Pupils feel safe, valued and increasingly proud of their school, and disadvantaged pupils' attendance and behaviour have improved. However, achievement is a key concern: external examination outcomes and progress have been below national averages over time, including for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Overall attendance also remains below national averages, with too many pupils regularly missing school. Some pupils do not receive support precisely matched to their needs, limiting engagement and progress. Next steps focus on embedding high-quality teaching, adapting the curriculum for SEND pupils, and improving attendance.

Strengths

• Leaders have established clear routines and raised expectations, leading to a calm and orderly school.
• Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and respectful.
• Suspensions and incidents of poor behaviour have reduced significantly.
• Bullying and discriminatory language are not tolerated and are challenged effectively.
• The curriculum is well planned to build pupils' knowledge over time.
• Consistent teaching approaches are embedded across the curriculum.
• Leaders have prioritised inclusion and created a culture where it is celebrated.
• Effective systems support pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils, and those known to children's social care.
• Pastoral support is a strength, with targeted support for vulnerable pupils.
• The personal development programme prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• Pupils have opportunities to become leaders and their voices are heard.
• Careers education enables pupils to make increasingly well-informed decisions.
• Trust leaders provide effective support for sustainable improvement.
• Staff feel valued and supported with their wellbeing and workload.
• The attendance and behaviour of disadvantaged pupils have improved.
• Pupils who have not yet secured basic skills are well supported to catch up.

Areas for Improvement

• Overall attendance is below national averages, and too many pupils regularly miss school.
• Achievement and progress in external examinations have been below national averages over time.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND achieve below national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils' Progress 8 is significantly below national averages.
• Persistent absence is well above national averages.
• Support in lessons is not always precisely matched to pupils' specific needs.
• Some pupils are not fully engaged and do not make the progress they could.
• Leaders need to continue developing and embedding high-quality teaching strategies across the curriculum.
• Leaders need to ensure staff are supported to adapt the curriculum so SEND pupils receive precise support.
• Leaders need to continue embedding strategies to ensure all pupils attend regularly.

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 South Wigston High School attended 88.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 33.1% 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, 7.4% of pupils at South Wigston High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 5 pupils were 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 South Wigston High School had 15.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.0% 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, 14.2% of pupils at South Wigston High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.0% 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 South Wigston High School received £9,034 and spent £9,392 for each of its 783 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,021,000 (£1,304 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of Learning Without Limits Academy Trust, income was £9,074 and spending £9,110 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 Wigston · Leicestershire local authority: places and applications

South Wigston High School is part of Learning Without Limits Academy Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Lancaster Academy Leicester
• Babington Academy Leicester
• Woodstock Primary Academy Leicester
• Heatherbrook Primary Academy Leicester

What is South Wigston High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for South Wigston High School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was South Wigston High School last inspected by Ofsted?

South Wigston High School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does South Wigston High School have?

South Wigston High School has 730 pupils on roll.

What age range does South Wigston High School cover?

South Wigston High School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are South Wigston High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 36.9, and 29% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is South Wigston High School?

South Wigston High School is at St Thomas Road, Wigston, Leicestershire, LE18 4TA.