The Cedars Academy

The Cedars Academy continues to demonstrate a good standard of education, driven by a clear vision from its leaders and a dedicated staff committed to supporting pupils. The curriculum is well-structured, allowing students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), to achieve strong outcomes. Pupils enjoy their education and actively engage with their learning, benefiting from a supportive atmosphere where good behavior is fostered. Notably, the school has recently improved its behavior policy and established programs that encourage leadership among students. The strong emphasis on creating a harmonious school community is evident, with effective safeguarding measures in place. However, while the school excels in many areas, there are targets for improvement. The recent initiatives, such as the personal development and careers programs, have yet to be fully evaluated to ensure they effectively support student progress. Additionally, there is a concern regarding the promotion of independent reading, as some pupils do not read for pleasure outside of lessons, which impacts their reading fluency and overall engagement with literature.

Strengths

• Leaders have a clear and ambitious vision for the school.
• The curriculum is well-designed and relevant to the school's context.
• Pupils feel safe and enjoy their learning experience.
• Teachers have good subject knowledge and provide effective support.
• The new behavior policy has successfully improved overall pupil conduct.
• The school promotes leadership opportunities for pupils.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND through tailored teaching and resources.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils rarely read outside of lessons, limiting their reading fluency.
• New programs have not yet been fully evaluated for their impact.

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 The Cedars Academy attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.4% 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, 6.6% of pupils at The Cedars Academy 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 The Cedars Academy had 17.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.1% 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, 17.0% of pupils at The Cedars Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.4% 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 The Cedars Academy received £8,313 and spent £7,848 for each of its 985 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,506,000 (£1,529 per pupil).

Across all 16 schools of Lionheart Educational Trust, income was £7,656 and spending £7,419 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 Leicester · Leicestershire local authority: places and applications

The Cedars Academy is part of Lionheart Educational Trust, which runs 17 schools. The nearest others:

• Riverside Community Primary School Birstall Leicester
• Highcliffe Primary School and Community Centre Leicester
• Hallam Fields, Birstall Leicester
• The Martin High School Anstey Leicester
• Beauchamp City Sixth Form Leicester
• Judgemeadow Community College Leicester
• Humphrey Perkins School Loughborough
• Sir Jonathan North Girls' College Leicester
• Brocks Hill Primary School Leicester
• Beauchamp College Leicester

What is The Cedars Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Cedars Academy is Good, from an inspection in May 2023.

When was The Cedars Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Cedars Academy was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does The Cedars Academy have?

The Cedars Academy has 985 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Cedars Academy cover?

The Cedars Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Cedars Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 45.4, and 43% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Cedars Academy?

The Cedars Academy is at Wanlip Lane, Birstall, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE4 4GH.