Gartree High School

Gartree High School is a happy, inclusive secondary academy that inspectors found to be performing well overall. Pupils feel safe, behave well and achieve well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, reading is prioritised, teaching generally explains concepts clearly, and pupils benefit from a wide range of extracurricular activities and a detailed careers programme. Safeguarding is effective, and leaders and trustees are committed to high-quality education. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2015; it converted to a secondary academy in 2017, and new co-headteachers were appointed in September 2024. Under the current framework, no overall effectiveness grade was awarded, and the previous inspection grade was outstanding. Two areas need improvement. Teachers do not always check pupils' understanding precisely enough to identify misconceptions or gaps in knowledge, so pupils' learning is less secure when this happens. The personal development programme is also not delivered consistently well, especially in key stage 4, meaning some pupils do not have an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships or the protected characteristics.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, happy and well cared for in an inclusive environment.
• Pupils behave well and show positive attitudes to learning, with poor behaviour rare.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious and has high expectations for all pupils.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and very well supported to thrive.
• Reading is a priority, with targeted support helping weaker readers gain fluency and confidence.
• Teachers use strong subject knowledge and revisit content to help pupils remember key knowledge.
• A wide range of extracurricular activities, trips and visits supports pupils' character development.
• A detailed careers programme helps pupils understand their next steps and meet employers and education providers.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Leaders and trustees routinely evaluate the school's work and are committed to improving outcomes for all pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers do not always check pupils' understanding precisely enough to identify misconceptions and knowledge gaps.
• Learning is less secure when assessment information is not used consistently to adapt teaching.
• The personal development programme is not delivered consistently well, especially in key stage 4.
• Some pupils do not have an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships and the protected characteristics.

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 Gartree High School attended 93.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 16.8% 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, 5.4% of pupils at Gartree High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 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 Gartree High School had 19.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.1% 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, 10.7% of pupils at Gartree High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.1% 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 Gartree High School received £7,542 and spent £7,826 for each of its 909 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £94,000 (£103 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.

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What is Gartree High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Gartree High School is Good, from an inspection in April 2025.

When was Gartree High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Gartree High School was last inspected in April 2025.

How many pupils does Gartree High School have?

Gartree High School has 924 pupils on roll.

What age range does Gartree High School cover?

Gartree High School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Gartree High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 54.1, and 62% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Gartree High School?

Gartree High School is at Ridge Way, Oadby, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE2 5TQ.