Old Dalby Church of England Primary School

Old Dalby Church of England Primary School is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating in key areas such as the quality of education, behaviour, and personal development. The inclusive and caring environment promotes positive behaviour among students, enhancing their engagement in lessons. The curriculum is well sequenced, and leaders have made significant improvements since the last inspection. However, the early years provision requires improvement, with challenges in providing meaningful learning opportunities for young children. There are also concerns regarding the support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), who may not be making sufficient progress due to inadequate adaptations in teaching.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy attending the school and feel safe and valued.
• The curriculum is well sequenced and improves pupils' outcomes.
• Teachers have secure subject knowledge and effectively check what pupils know.
• Leaders prioritize early reading and provide support for pupils who fall behind.
• Pupils are well prepared for secondary school and have a good understanding of school and British values.
• The school promotes inclusivity and caring values among students.

Areas for Improvement

• Early years provision lacks meaningful learning opportunities.
• Support for pupils with SEND is inconsistent, affecting their progress.

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 Old Dalby Church of England Primary School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.1% 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, 0.6% of pupils at Old Dalby Church of England Primary School 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 Old Dalby Church of England Primary School had 17.3 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, 14.1% of pupils at Old Dalby Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.5% 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 Old Dalby Church of England Primary School received £6,481 and spent £6,411 for each of its 158 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £131,000 (£829 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 Melton Mowbray · Leicestershire local authority: places and applications

What is Old Dalby Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Old Dalby Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in June 2023.

When was Old Dalby Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Old Dalby Church of England Primary School was last inspected in June 2023.

How many pupils does Old Dalby Church of England Primary School have?

Old Dalby Church of England Primary School has 163 pupils on roll.

What age range does Old Dalby Church of England Primary School cover?

Old Dalby Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Old Dalby Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 38% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Old Dalby Church of England Primary School?

Old Dalby Church of England Primary School is at Longcliff Hill, Old Dalby, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE14 3JY.