De Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire

De Lisle College is a large Roman Catholic secondary school within the St Thomas Aquinas Multi-Academy Trust. Inspected in May 2026, it meets safeguarding standards. The school's strongest features are its attendance, behaviour, inclusion and personal development work. Pupils attend well above national averages, behave calmly and respectfully, and benefit from an inclusive culture with effective pastoral care, wellbeing support and a wide enrichment offer. Leaders have high expectations, work productively with families, and are well supported by governors and the trust. Overall achievement, curriculum and teaching, leadership and governance, and post-16 provision meet expected standards rather than reaching the strongest levels. Key stage 4 results have typically been above national averages, but disadvantaged pupils' outcomes have recently been closer to national averages and the disadvantage gap has widened. Sixth-form attainment is broadly in line with national averages and not consistently above. Inspectors found some inconsistencies in checking pupils' learning, identifying errors or misconceptions, and adapting work for pupils with SEND, meaning gaps do not always close quickly. The school is larger than average, with lower-than-average proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and pupils with SEND. It uses 10 alternative provisions, nine of which are unregistered. Its next steps focus on making checks on learning consistent across the curriculum and ensuring teaching strategies are skilfully adapted so all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, achieve well.

Strengths

• Very high expectations for attendance, with overall attendance and SEND attendance above national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils' attendance has improved to around the national average through sustained, tailored support.
• Pupils consistently behave calmly and respectfully, with embedded routines such as standing assembly.
• An inclusive culture with early identification of additional needs and effective wellbeing strategies.
• High-quality staff training and close monitoring ensure support for SEND and disadvantaged pupils has impact.
• Pastoral care is a significant strength, with strong family relationships and swift support for barriers.
• Personal development and PSHE are well sequenced and purposeful, including mental health and online safety.
• A wide range of enrichment and international visits, with strong participation including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Careers education is high quality, with one-to-one guidance, employer encounters and positive destinations.
• The curriculum is well designed and taught with secure subject knowledge; targeted basic-skills support is effective.
• Leaders have created a positive, caring ethos and improved attendance, with effective governance and trust oversight.
• Sixth-form provision has an ambitious curriculum, purposeful lessons, effective support and positive destinations.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils' mistakes and misconceptions are not identified quickly enough, so gaps in learning do not close as rapidly as they could.
• Some adaptations to learning do not support pupils with SEND to progress as quickly as they could.
• Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes have recently been closer to national averages, and the disadvantage gap has widened at key stage 4.
• A-level attainment and value added are not consistently above national averages.
• Leaders should ensure checks used to identify and address gaps in learning are used consistently across the curriculum.
• Leaders should ensure teaching strategies are skilfully adapted so barriers to achievement are swiftly and effectively addressed.

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 De Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire attended 93.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 15.0% 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, 6.0% of pupils at De Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire 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 De Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire had 24.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.5% 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, 11.1% of pupils at De Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.0% 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 De Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire received £7,090 and spent £6,572 for each of its 1,345 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £4,361,000 (£3,242 per pupil).

Across all 23 schools of St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,145 and spending £7,245 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

De Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire is part of St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Multi Academy Trust, which runs 23 schools. The nearest others:

• Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, Loughborough Loughborough
• Sacred Heart Catholic Voluntary Academy Loughborough
• Saint Winefride's Catholic Voluntary Academy, Shepshed, Leicestershire Loughborough
• Holy Cross School A Catholic Voluntary Academy Coalville
• Saint Clare's Primary School A Catholic Voluntary Academy, Coalville, Leicestershire Coalville
• Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy Leicester
• English Martyrs' Catholic School, A Voluntary Academy Leicester
• Saint Patrick's Catholic Voluntary Academy Leicester
• Christ the King Catholic Voluntary Academy Leicester
• Sacred Heart Catholic Voluntary Academy Leicester

What is De Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for De Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was De Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire last inspected by Ofsted?

De Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does De Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire have?

De Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire has 1,376 pupils on roll.

What age range does De Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire cover?

De Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are De Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 57.5, and 66% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is De Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire?

De Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire is at Thorpe Hill, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 4SQ.