Desford Community Primary School

Desford Community Primary School is performing well across all inspected areas. This was its first section 5 inspection since becoming an academy in the Life Multi Academy Trust, and inspectors found a school where the ethos of kindness is lived out by pupils and staff. Pupils are polite, feel safe and are well supported, while leaders and the trust work closely together to help all pupils achieve well. Safeguarding is effective. The curriculum is carefully sequenced and reading is a particular strength, with a recently introduced phonics programme helping the youngest children learn sounds quickly and supporting those who fall behind. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified quickly and included well, and personal development is supported through a wide range of opportunities. Staff are proud to work at the school and feel their workload is considered. There are a small number of areas to improve. In some cases, information is not presented clearly enough and key vocabulary is not used accurately, which means pupils do not remember important knowledge as well as they could. In some less well-developed subjects, end points are not defined clearly enough, so pupils do not learn the important knowledge securely. The school is already working with the trust to address these areas.

Strengths

• Strong reading and phonics provision, including early support for pupils who fall behind
• Carefully sequenced curriculum that builds knowledge from Reception onwards
• Effective identification and support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities
• Inclusive ethos with pupils who are polite, kind and respectful
• Good behaviour and positive relationships across the school
• Strong leadership and trust support, with effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of cases, information is not presented clearly and key vocabulary is not used accurately
• In some less well-developed subjects, end points are not defined clearly enough
• Pupils do not always remember important knowledge securely in these subjects

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 Desford Community Primary School attended 96.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 3.7% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Desford Community 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 Desford Community Primary School had 23.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.2% 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, 14.3% of pupils at Desford Community Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.9% 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 Desford Community Primary School received £6,858 and spent £6,922 for each of its 382 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £203,000 (£530 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of Life Multi-Academy Trust, income was £8,357 and spending £8,230 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

Desford Community Primary School is part of Life Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Bosworth Academy Leicester
• Dove Bank Primary School Nuneaton
• Braunstone Frith Primary Academy Leicester
• Kingsway Primary School Leicester
• The Winstanley School Leicester
• Ibstock School Ibstock
• Countesthorpe Academy Countesthorpe
• Ashby School Ashby-De-La-Zouch
• Ivanhoe School Ashby-De-La-Zouch

What is Desford Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Desford Community Primary School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Desford Community Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Desford Community Primary School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Desford Community Primary School have?

Desford Community Primary School has 385 pupils on roll.

What age range does Desford Community Primary School cover?

Desford Community Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are Desford Community Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Desford Community Primary School?

Desford Community Primary School is at Kirkby Road, Desford, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE9 9JH.