Blaby Stokes Church of England Primary School

Blaby Stokes Church of England Primary School has improved in several important areas since its previous inspection, particularly in behaviour, attendance, personal development and early years. Pupils are calm, respectful and well supported, and staff apply the behaviour policy consistently. The school's pastoral care is strong, pupils feel safe, and children in Reception benefit from a language-rich environment. The curriculum is ambitious and locally relevant, and pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported well. However, the school still has significant weaknesses in the quality of education and leadership and management. Too many pupils do not achieve what they should in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2. Teaching is not consistently strong enough, and staff do not always check learning closely or deepen pupils' understanding. The school has responded more effectively in writing than in reading and mathematics, where improvement planning lacks focus. Some pupils who find reading difficult are given books that do not match the letter sounds they know, which limits their fluency. The school is part of Learn Academies Trust, and the executive headteacher and head of school took up their roles in April 2022. Leaders and governors recognise the school's strengths and areas for development, and staff feel well supported. Safeguarding is effective. The main priority is to ensure that curriculum implementation, reading support and strategic planning lead to better outcomes for pupils across the curriculum.

Strengths

• The curriculum is ambitious and designed around key themes and the local Blaby story.
• Staff have high expectations of behaviour and apply the behaviour policy consistently.
• Pupils behave well, take pride in their work and benefit from calm classrooms and clear routines.
• Strong pastoral support and daily well-being checks help pupils feel safe and supported.
• The personal development curriculum helps pupils understand healthy lifestyles, online safety, British values and respect for world faiths.
• The attendance strategy has significantly reduced absence, and pupils attend well.
• Early years provision prioritises communication and language, with skilled staff developing children's vocabulary.
• Phonics is taught well by most staff, with close progress checks and support for pupils who fall behind.
• Pupils with SEND are identified swiftly and receive extra help, modified resources and individualised support.
• Behaviour management has been transformed, and allegations of bullying are handled effectively.
• Staff feel well supported in their roles and workloads, and they value the training they receive.
• Trustees and local governors know the school's strengths and areas for further development.

Areas for Improvement

• Too many pupils do not achieve what they should in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2.
• Teaching quality is not consistently high, and staff sometimes do not check how well pupils are learning or deepen their understanding.
• The school's response to low 2024 attainment has been mixed, with reading and mathematics improvement plans lacking sufficient focus and success.
• Some pupils' reading books are too difficult and are not matched to the letter sounds they know, preventing them from reading accurately and fluently.
• Strategic planning does not address some of the most important development areas well enough, limiting curriculum improvement.
• Leaders have not addressed some key issues effectively enough since the previous inspection.

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 Blaby Stokes Church of England Primary School attended 95.7% 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, 1.6% of pupils at Blaby Stokes Church of England Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 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 Blaby Stokes Church of England Primary School had 18.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.2% 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, 13.2% of pupils at Blaby Stokes Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.0% 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 Blaby Stokes Church of England Primary School received £7,431 and spent £7,490 for each of its 251 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £38,000 (£150 per pupil).

Across all 19 schools of Learn Academies Trust, income was £6,955 and spending £6,849 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.

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• Secondary Schools

All schools in Leicester · Leicestershire local authority: places and applications

Blaby Stokes Church of England Primary School is part of Learn Academies Trust, which runs 19 schools. The nearest others:

• Red Hill Field Primary School Leicester
• All Saints Church of England Primary School Wigston
• Hope Hamilton CofE Primary School Leicester
• Houghton-on-the-Hill Church of England Primary School Leicester
• Richard Hill Church of England Primary School Leicester
• St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, North Kilworth Lutterworth
• Husbands Bosworth Church of England Primary School Lutterworth
• South Kilworth Church of England Primary School Lutterworth
• Church Langton Church of England Primary School Market Harborough
• Queniborough Church of England Primary School Leicester

What is Blaby Stokes Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Blaby Stokes Church of England Primary School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Blaby Stokes Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Blaby Stokes Church of England Primary School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Blaby Stokes Church of England Primary School have?

Blaby Stokes Church of England Primary School has 197 pupils on roll.

What age range does Blaby Stokes Church of England Primary School cover?

Blaby Stokes Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Blaby Stokes Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 34% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Blaby Stokes Church of England Primary School?

Blaby Stokes Church of England Primary School is at Queens Road, Blaby, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE8 4EG.