School Chooser

Foxfields Academy

Special · ages 4-16MixedFree school105 pupilsLeicestershire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, January 2023
Attendance81.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families51%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull105 pupils, 100 places
Pupils per teacher5.5School workforce census
Pupils on roll105Census January 2026

Foxfields Academy is a special free school in Blaby for boys and girls aged 4 to 16. It has 105 pupils, 5 more than it has places for. About 51 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Hospital Lane, Blaby, LE8 4FE0116 344 0343foxfields-cit.co.ukMr Ashley Caress headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 17 January 2023, 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”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

5 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

The government hasn't published this school's headline results. Fewer than eleven pupils sat the exams, so the figures could identify individual children.

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

3 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 11Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected levelOfficial name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023LeicestershireEngland
Pupils tested3125
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%63%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score100.0105.9105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score96.0104.9104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score93.0105.6105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard25%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard8%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%

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.

Getting a place

Open to all. There is no entrance test.

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 the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll105Census January 2026
Places100105% full
Pupils from low-income families51%51% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English2%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%105 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)48%£60,200 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls91 / 14
White British pupils80%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (87), Autistic spectrum disorder (9), Moderate learning difficulty (2), Other difficulty or disability (2), Severe learning difficulty (2), language and communications needs (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll1059889595216
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals51%54%51%58%50%75%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language2%2%2%3%4%6%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 81.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance81.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school38.5%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils59.22024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission7.1%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/21England
Sessions missedOverall absence18.9%14.2%15.5%14.2%24.7%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence11.8%7.9%9.1%9.2%23.6%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence7.1%6.3%6.3%5.1%1.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence38.5%35.1%45.0%34.0%81.8%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate59.269.739.07.76.3
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers19.0full-time equivalent, 19 people
Pupils per teacher5.5Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers58%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants29.3full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£48,332
Teachers who left in the year18%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher4.82024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£27,561England £30,720. Total £2.7m
Income per pupil£34,602England £33,526. Total £3.4m
Spent on teachers per pupil£10,827England £11,966
Money in reserve2%Very little put by: £74k, £754 per pupil. England 16%
Money in against money out+£690kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£27,561spent 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 m10512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate58 per 1,000 people36% lower than the England average
Typical house price£276,000Blaby
Nearest bus stop350 mWillow Road, 5 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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Blaby Thistly Meadow Primary SchoolCouncil410 m329No overall grade 202573Compare
Blaby Stokes Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles197No overall grade 20255Compare
Countesthorpe AcademyAcademy0.8 miles1,149No overall grade 202410Compare
St Peter's Church of England Primary School WhetstoneAcademy1.0 miles178Good 202372Compare
Greenfield Primary SchoolCouncil1.0 miles555Good 202441Compare
South Wigston High SchoolAcademy1.0 miles730Requires improvement 20243Compare
Badgerbrook Primary SchoolAcademy1.1 miles398Report card 202572Compare
Parkland Primary School South WigstonAcademy1.1 miles549Good 202339Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Foxfields Academy a good school?

Foxfields Academy doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in January 2023.

What is Foxfields Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Foxfields Academy good at its last full inspection on 17 January 2023.

How many pupils does Foxfields Academy have?

105 pupils aged 4 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 100 places, so it is 105% full.

What is attendance like at Foxfields Academy?

Pupils were in school 81.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 38% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

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

Contact and details

Address
Hospital Lane, Blaby, LE8 4FE
Telephone
0116 344 0343
Website
www.foxfields-cit.co.uk
Headteacher
Mr Ashley Caress
Type of school
Special free school (Free schools special, free schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 4-16
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Multi-academy trust
Community Inclusive Trust (19 schools)
Local authority
Leicestershire
Ward
Blaby
Constituency
South Leicestershire
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2020 (new provision)
URN
148029 · LAESTAB 8557003 · UKPRN 10086698

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from