School Chooser

Great Dalby School

Primary · ages 5-11MixedAcademy137 pupilsMelton MowbrayLeicestershire
School Chooser Score
77
Above
similar schools
Likely range 51 to 91, so it could be “well above”
Out of 100. Better than 60% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, February 2025
Reached the expected level at 1179%England 63%
Attendance95.9%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families7%Far fewer than most schools
Places3 spare137 pupils, 140 places
Pupils per teacher22.8School workforce census

Great Dalby School is a converter academy in Melton Mowbray for boys and girls aged 5 to 11. It has 137 pupils and room for 140. About 7 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 77 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 60% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.

Top End, Great Dalby, Melton Mowbray, LE14 2HA01664 562750greatdalby.bepschools.orgMrs Jenny Hanks headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 25 February 2025, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
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

19 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 1179%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score109.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score107.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 80%80%20172018: 80%80%20182019: 86%86%20192023: 63%63%20232024: 70%70%20242025: 79%79%2025
Since 2017: -1%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017LeicestershireEngland
Pupils tested192019212020
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths79%70%63%86%80%80%63%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%5%16%14%20%25%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score109.0108.0108.0108.0109.0110.0105.9105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score107.0107.0106.0108.0106.0108.0104.9104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score106.0108.0107.0109.0108.0111.0105.6105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard89%85%79%95%90%90%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard89%90%68%95%90%90%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)79%90%68%86%85%80%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.4+0.9+1.0+2.4
Maths progressMaths progress score+0.4+0.7-0.7+0.4

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
73%88%
Gap 15 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 full136 pupils for 140 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. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

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 roll137Census January 2026
Places14098% full
Pupils from low-income families7%7% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English1%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support13%18 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%5 pupils with a plan
Average class size29.73 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils33%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)7%£13,950 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls79 / 58
White British pupils91%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 28.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 30.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (10), Specific learning difficulty (7), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), language and communications needs (3).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll137135140139140141
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals7%4%4%2%1%3%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language1%2%1%1%1%3%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support14%10%7%11%4%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%3%3%2%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.9%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school6.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.6%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.1%4.0%3.7%5.3%1.4%3.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.5%3.4%3.3%4.9%1.2%2.5%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.6%0.6%0.4%0.4%0.1%0.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence6.7%3.3%6.7%6.6%0.0%3.2%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.02.10.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers6.0full-time equivalent, 8 people
Pupils per teacher22.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants4.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,995
Teachers who left in the year9%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.32024/25

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£5,874England £7,128. Total £793k
Income per pupil£6,481England £7,587. Total £875k
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,200England £3,405
Money in reserve10%A healthy amount put by: £88k, £649 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£82kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£5,874spent 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 m1512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate38 per 1,000 people59% lower than the England average
Typical house price£272,000Melton
Nearest bus stop240 mChapel Building, 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
Swallowdale Primary School and Community CentreAcademy2.2 miles351Good 202213Compare
Saint Francis Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy2.7 miles197Good 202345Compare
Sherard Primary SchoolAcademy2.7 miles443Good 202258Compare
The Grove Primary SchoolAcademy3.1 miles187Good 202352Compare
Asfordby Hill Primary SchoolAcademy3.1 miles196Report card 202686Compare
Gaddesby Primary SchoolAcademy3.3 miles159Good 202370Compare
Somerby Primary SchoolAcademy3.3 miles42Good 202267Compare
Frisby Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy3.4 miles107Report card 202620Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Great Dalby School with the 47 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 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats60%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 77 is about the same as the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 76 · highest 96100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 47 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Great Dalby 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
Whissendine Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy5.6 miles136No overall grade 202591Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 77 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 77% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 51 to 91. 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
+0.13
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 19 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%above
+0.09
Ofsted grade, 1.5 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
+0.01
DfE progress measure; 19 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
-0.01
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.09
2024/25; 119 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%above
+0.06
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 19 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 Great Dalby School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Great Dalby School scores 77 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 60% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 51 to 91, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Great Dalby School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Great Dalby School not judged at its last full inspection on 25 February 2025.

How good are Great Dalby School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 79% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Great Dalby School have?

137 pupils aged 5 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 140 places, so it is 98% full.

Is Great Dalby 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 Great Dalby School?

Pupils were in school 95.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 7% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Great Dalby School?

The average class had 29.7 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 33% 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
Top End, Great Dalby, Melton Mowbray, LE14 2HA
Telephone
01664 562750
Website
www.greatdalby.bepschools.org
Headteacher
Mrs Jenny Hanks
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 5-11
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Bradgate Education Partnership (19 schools)
Local authority
Leicestershire
Ward
Gaddesby
Constituency
Melton and Syston
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 March 2013 (academy converter)
URN
139342 · LAESTAB 8552018 · UKPRN 10040627
Formerly
Great Dalby School

Where these figures come from