School Chooser

Ashby Willesley Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademy411 pupilsAshby-de-la-ZouchLeicestershire
School Chooser Score
85
Well above
similar schools
Likely range 74 to 92, so it could be “above”
Out of 100. Better than 63% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, November 2022
Reached the expected level at 1185%England 63%
Attendance96.8%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families6%Far fewer than most schools
Places9 spare411 pupils, 420 places
Pupils per teacher24.8School workforce census

Ashby Willesley Primary School is a converter academy in Ashby-de-la-Zouch for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 411 pupils and room for 420. About 6 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 85 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 63% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

Packington Nook Lane, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, LE65 2QG01530 413654ashbywillesley.org.ukMrs Chloe Dilks headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 16 November 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

60 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1185%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level3%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score109.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score108.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 64%64%20172018: 78%78%20182019: 76%76%20192023: 75%75%20232024: 73%73%20242025: 85%85%2025
Since 2017: +21%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017LeicestershireEngland
Pupils tested606060635955
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths85%73%75%76%78%64%63%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths3%8%7%17%12%9%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score109.0108.0107.0106.0107.0104.0105.9105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score108.0109.0107.0107.0105.0106.0104.9104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score110.0108.0108.0108.0106.0105.0105.6105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard90%85%83%81%83%71%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard92%92%92%87%83%80%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)88%78%80%92%90%75%
Reading progressReading progress score-0.1+1.0+1.2-0.9
Maths progressMaths progress score+1.6+1.6-0.5+0.5
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged50%71%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged77%79%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. None of the gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
89%82%
Gap 7 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Nearly full404 pupils for 420 places, 2024/25
96% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have fallen by 3% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Leicestershire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll411Census January 2026
Places42098% full
Pupils from low-income families6%6% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English2%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support12%49 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan2%8 pupils with a plan
Average class size29.312 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)5%£32,550 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls202 / 209
White British pupils90%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 28.7 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.8 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (15), language and communications needs (13), Moderate learning difficulty (12), Specific learning difficulty (10), Hearing impairment (3), Multi-sensory impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll411405401409414417
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals6%4%5%5%5%5%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language2%3%2%2%1%1%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support12%9%8%9%7%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans1%1%1%2%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.8%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school3.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.52024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.2%3.7%3.3%4.7%3.8%2.7%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.5%2.9%2.6%4.2%3.6%2.5%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.8%0.9%0.6%0.5%0.2%0.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence3.8%7.1%4.7%9.9%13.3%3.5%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.50.52.01.70.2
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers16.5full-time equivalent, 19 people
Pupils per teacher24.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants14.8full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,168
Teachers who left in the year6%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher0.72024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£5,519England £7,128. Total £2.2m
Income per pupil£5,896England £7,587. Total £2.4m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,393England £3,405
Money in reserve15%A healthy amount put by: £368k, £908 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£153kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£5,519spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m6912 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate46 per 1,000 people50% lower than the England average
Typical house price£272,180North West Leicestershire
Nearest bus stop220 mRidgway Road, 9 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Ashby Hill Top Primary SchoolAcademy820 m308Outstanding 202484Compare
Ashby-de-la-Zouch Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England0.7 miles277Good 202345Compare
Packington Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England0.9 miles92Good 202419Compare
Ashby Hastings Primary SchoolFree school1.0 miles149Good 202496Compare
Woodcote Primary SchoolCouncil1.1 miles126Good 20226Compare
Moira Primary SchoolCouncil1.8 miles184No overall grade 202531Compare
Blackfordby St Margaret's Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy2.1 miles86Report card 20266Compare
Donisthorpe Primary SchoolAcademy2.1 miles207Not inspected36Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Ashby Willesley Primary School with the 49 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats63%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 85 is 6 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 36 · middle 79 · highest 97100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 49 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Ashby Willesley Primary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St Michael's CofE (C) Primary SchoolAcademy14.9 miles398Not inspected94Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 85 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 85% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 74 to 92. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%above
+0.21
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 60 pupils
Ofsted inspection18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.8 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
+0.04
DfE progress measure; 60 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.07
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well above
+0.14
2024/25; 346 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%above
+0.05
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 60 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Ashby Willesley Primary School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Ashby Willesley Primary School scores 85 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 63% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 74 to 92, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Ashby Willesley Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Ashby Willesley Primary School good at its last full inspection on 16 November 2022.

How good are Ashby Willesley Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 85% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 3% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Ashby Willesley Primary School have?

411 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 420 places, so it is 98% full.

Is Ashby Willesley Primary School oversubscribed?

Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.

What is attendance like at Ashby Willesley Primary School?

Pupils were in school 96.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 4% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Ashby Willesley Primary School?

The average class had 29.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Packington Nook Lane, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, LE65 2QG
Telephone
01530 413654
Website
www.ashbywillesley.org.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Chloe Dilks
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Symphony Learning Trust (20 schools)
Local authority
Leicestershire
Ward
Ashby Willesley
Constituency
North West Leicestershire
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2016 (academy converter)
URN
143251 · LAESTAB 8552167 · UKPRN 10057860
Formerly
Ashby Willesley Primary School

Where these figures come from