School Chooser

Donisthorpe Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademy207 pupilsSwadlincoteLeicestershire
School Chooser Score
36
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 15 to 65
Out of 100. Better than 27% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
Reached the expected level at 1173%England 63%
Attendance95.0%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families14%Far fewer than most schools
Places3 spare207 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher23.0School workforce census
Pupils on roll207Census January 2026

Donisthorpe Primary School is a converter academy in Swadlincote for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 207 pupils and room for 210. About 14 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 36 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 27% of the 50 schools most like it.

Ashby Road, Donisthorpe, Swadlincote, DE12 7QF01530 270371donisthorpeprimary.orgMr Jamie Williamson headteacherAll details

Ofsted

Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1173%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level4%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score107.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score103.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 70%70%20172018: 83%83%20182019: 68%68%20192023: 60%60%20232024: 47%47%20242025: 73%73%2025
Since 2017: +3%Improving overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025202420232019†2018†2017†LeicestershireEngland
Pupils tested263030283023
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths73%47%60%68%83%70%63%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths4%0%3%18%17%13%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score107.0101.0104.0104.0107.0106.0105.9105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0100.0101.0105.0105.0104.0104.9104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0100.0103.0105.0107.0106.0105.6105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard81%60%87%71%87%87%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard73%63%63%82%90%87%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)81%57%70%75%87%83%
Reading progressReading progress score-1.8-1.0+0.7+2.3
Maths progressMaths progress score-4.0-1.4-0.6-0.3
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged33%27%17%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged85%58%71%

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.

† These results are for Donisthorpe Primary School, the school this one replaced in September 2022. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

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. 1 of the 3 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 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
33%85%
Gap 52 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
43%84%
Gap 41 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%4%
Gap 4 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 full203 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
97% 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.

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 roll207Census January 2026
Places21099% full
Pupils from low-income families14%14% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support13%27 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan2%4 pupils with a plan
Average class size29.67 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils14%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)16%£49,600 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls110 / 97
White British pupils95%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.3 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: Moderate learning difficulty (12), Specific learning difficulty (8), language and communications needs (6), emotional and mental health (3), Autistic spectrum disorder (1), Other difficulty or disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census2026202520242023
Pupils on roll207205207204
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals14%19%16%14%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language4%3%4%3%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support16%14%17%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%3%0%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.0%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school11.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.0%5.5%5.3%5.5%3.4%2.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.1%4.3%4.4%4.6%3.0%2.0%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.9%1.2%0.9%0.9%0.4%0.8%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence11.7%19.3%14.1%17.5%6.1%2.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.07.32.9
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions001

† These attendance figures are for Donisthorpe Primary School, the school this one replaced in September 2022. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Staff and money

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

Teachers9.0full-time equivalent, 12 people
Pupils per teacher23.0Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants7.3full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£48,730
Teachers who left in the year16%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.92024/25

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£6,215England £7,128. Total £1.3m
Income per pupil£6,771England £7,587. Total £1.4m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,727England £3,405
Money in reserve8%Not much put by: £104k, £507 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£114kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,215spent 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 m2512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate43 per 1,000 people53% lower than the England average
Typical house price£272,180North West Leicestershire
Nearest bus stop290 mMasons Arms PH, 4 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
Oakthorpe Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles80Good 201946Compare
Measham Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy1.5 miles176No overall grade 202424Compare
St Charles Catholic Primary Voluntary AcademyAcademy1.6 miles136Good 202352Compare
Moira Primary SchoolCouncil1.7 miles184No overall grade 202531Compare
Overseal Primary SchoolCouncil1.8 miles204Report card 202642Compare
Ashby Willesley Primary SchoolAcademy2.1 miles411Good 202285Compare
Ashby Hill Top Primary SchoolAcademy2.1 miles308Outstanding 202484Compare
Packington Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England2.2 miles92Good 202419Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Donisthorpe 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.

Beats27%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 36 is 20 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 56 · highest 94100

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 Donisthorpe 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
Woodstone Community Primary SchoolCouncil4.9 miles206Not inspected55Compare
Ellistown Community Primary SchoolCouncil6.9 miles206Good 202356Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 36 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 36% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 15 to 65. 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%in line
-0.05
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 26 pupils
Ofsted inspection0%no data
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.19
DfE progress measure; 26 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well above
+0.15
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
+0.03
2024/25; 179 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.11
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 26 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 Donisthorpe Primary School a good school?

It is about average. Donisthorpe Primary School scores 36 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 27% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 15 to 65, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been getting better over the last five years.

How good are Donisthorpe Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 73% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 4% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Donisthorpe Primary School have?

207 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 99% full.

Is Donisthorpe 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 Donisthorpe Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 12% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Donisthorpe Primary School?

The average class had 29.6 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 14% of classes 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
Ashby Road, Donisthorpe, Swadlincote, DE12 7QF
Telephone
01530 270371
Website
www.donisthorpeprimary.org
Headteacher
Mr Jamie Williamson
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
Oakthorpe & Donisthorpe
Constituency
Hinckley and Bosworth
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2022 (academy converter)
URN
149269 · LAESTAB 8552082 · UKPRN 10090958
Formerly
Donisthorpe Primary School

Where these figures come from