Saint Winefride's Catholic Voluntary Academy, Shepshed, Leicestershire

Saint Winefride’s Catholic Voluntary Academy in Shepshed is performing well, maintaining the high standards set in its previous inspections. The school fosters an ambitious learning environment where pupils are happy and engaged. The executive headteacher, Catherine Murphy, leads a dedicated team that ensures pupils achieve well academically and are well-prepared for future educational stages. The trust structure provides additional support and oversight, contributing to the positive outcomes observed. With a strong emphasis on personal development and safeguarding, pupils thrive in a supportive and safe atmosphere. Strengths include a well-structured curriculum that prioritizes reading and mathematics, as well as effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The behavior of pupils is exemplary, reflecting the school's strong value system. Conversely, there are some areas where the consistency of understanding in foundation subjects could improve, which could hinder deeper knowledge retention among pupils. Nonetheless, the school shows a commitment to addressing these challenges by enhancing staff training and curriculum impact assessments.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy and enjoy their learning.
• Strong leadership ensures high standards are maintained.
• The curriculum is broad and ambitious.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND.
• Pupils develop as fluent and confident readers.
• Excellent behaviour and attitudes towards learning among pupils.
• Strong emphasis on personal development.
• Pupils take on leadership roles effectively.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent understanding in some foundation subjects.
• Some pupils struggle to recall prior learning.
• Work quality in certain subjects does not reflect high expectations.

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 Saint Winefride's Catholic Voluntary Academy, Shepshed, Leicestershire attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

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, 1.9% of pupils at Saint Winefride's Catholic Voluntary Academy, Shepshed, Leicestershire were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No 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 Saint Winefride's Catholic Voluntary Academy, Shepshed, Leicestershire had 19.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

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, 16.6% of pupils at Saint Winefride's Catholic Voluntary Academy, Shepshed, Leicestershire were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Saint Winefride's Catholic Voluntary Academy, Shepshed, Leicestershire received £7,125 and spent £8,028 for each of its 154 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £489,000 (-£3,178 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

Saint Winefride's Catholic Voluntary Academy, Shepshed, Leicestershire is part of St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Multi Academy Trust, which runs 23 schools. The nearest others:

• De Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire Loughborough
• Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, Loughborough Loughborough
• Holy Cross School A Catholic Voluntary Academy Coalville
• Sacred Heart Catholic Voluntary Academy Loughborough
• Saint Clare's Primary School A Catholic Voluntary Academy, Coalville, Leicestershire Coalville
• St Charles Catholic Primary Voluntary Academy Swadlincote
• English Martyrs' Catholic School, A Voluntary Academy Leicester
• Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy Leicester
• Christ the King Catholic Voluntary Academy Leicester
• Saint Patrick's Catholic Voluntary Academy Leicester

What is Saint Winefride's Catholic Voluntary Academy, Shepshed, Leicestershire's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Saint Winefride's Catholic Voluntary Academy, Shepshed, Leicestershire is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Saint Winefride's Catholic Voluntary Academy, Shepshed, Leicestershire last inspected by Ofsted?

Saint Winefride's Catholic Voluntary Academy, Shepshed, Leicestershire was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Saint Winefride's Catholic Voluntary Academy, Shepshed, Leicestershire have?

Saint Winefride's Catholic Voluntary Academy, Shepshed, Leicestershire has 169 pupils on roll.

What age range does Saint Winefride's Catholic Voluntary Academy, Shepshed, Leicestershire cover?

Saint Winefride's Catholic Voluntary Academy, Shepshed, Leicestershire for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Saint Winefride's Catholic Voluntary Academy, Shepshed, Leicestershire's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 47% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Saint Winefride's Catholic Voluntary Academy, Shepshed, Leicestershire?

Saint Winefride's Catholic Voluntary Academy, Shepshed, Leicestershire is at Britannia Street, Shepshed, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE12 9AE.