Charnwood College

Charnwood College has shown notable improvement since its previous inspection, now rated as good across all domains. The school offers an inclusive and supportive environment where pupils feel respected and safe, with dedicated staff fostering a strong sense of community. The implementation of a consistent lesson structure and a strong emphasis on reading contributes positively to the pupils' learning experience. However, the school is still working to ensure all pupils, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), effectively connect their learning and develop a deeper understanding of subject knowledge.

Strengths

• Pupils experience a culture of respect and positivity.
• Leaders have established an inclusive and calm learning environment.
• Teachers provide clear explanations and effective modeling of learning.
• Leaders promote the importance of reading for all pupils.
• Personal development programs are coherent and well-designed.
• Pupils feel safe and supported by staff.
• A range of enrichment activities enhances the educational experience.

Areas for Improvement

• Not all teachers effectively check pupils' understanding before advancing learning.
• Some pupils, including vulnerable ones, struggle with persistent absence.

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 Charnwood College attended 93.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 21.5% 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, 2.8% of pupils at Charnwood College were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Charnwood College had 18.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.9% 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, 16.9% of pupils at Charnwood College were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.7% 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 Charnwood College received £8,248 and spent £9,278 for each of its 655 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £377,000 (-£575 per pupil).

Across all 36 schools of The David Ross Education Trust, income was £8,189 and spending £8,020 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

Charnwood College is part of The David Ross Education Trust, which runs 36 schools. The nearest others:

• Booth Wood Academy Loughborough
• Bringhurst Primary School Market Harborough
• Lodge Park Academy Corby
• Rockingham Primary School Corby
• Charles Read Academy Grantham
• Ingoldsby Academy Grantham
• Welton Church of England Academy Daventry
• Greenfields Primary School and Nursery Kettering
• Falconer's Hill Academy Daventry
• Abbey CofE Academy Daventry

What is Charnwood College's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Charnwood College is Good, from an inspection in October 2022.

When was Charnwood College last inspected by Ofsted?

Charnwood College was last inspected in October 2022.

How many pupils does Charnwood College have?

Charnwood College has 664 pupils on roll.

What age range does Charnwood College cover?

Charnwood College for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Charnwood College's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 48.6, and 50% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Charnwood College?

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