School Chooser

Merrydale Infant School

Primary · ages 3-7MixedCouncil334 pupilsNurseryLeicester
School Chooser Score
21
Below
similar schools
Likely range 9 to 45, so it could be “well below”
Out of 100. Better than 10% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
#12,703 of 16,041 in England#61 in LeicesterHow it is worked out
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, November 2023
Attendance93.9%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families17%Far fewer than most schools
PlacesFull334 pupils, 270 places
Pupils per teacher21.7School workforce census
Pupils on roll334Census January 2026

Merrydale Infant School is a council school in Leicester for boys and girls aged 3 to 7. It has 334 pupils, 64 more than it has places for. About 17 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 21 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 10% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Claydon Road, Leicester, LE5 0PL0116 276 7593merrydale-inf.leicester.sch.ukMr Mark Tipple-Johnson headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 21 November 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”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes
Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
28 September 2022UngradedSchool remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Nearly full266 pupils for 270 places, 2024/25
99% 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.

Will my child get a place?

In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place (76 offers for 90 places).

EntryPlacesGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary9076– all offeredLA

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 roll334Census January 2026
Places270124% full
Pupils from low-income families14%17% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English84%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support11%37 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%4 pupils with a plan
Average class size25.610 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)15%£60,450 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls176 / 158
White British pupils7%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (38), Autistic spectrum disorder (1), Moderate learning difficulty (1), emotional and mental health (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll334353352358355356
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals14%19%19%15%16%17%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language84%83%82%80%81%83%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support–7%8%7%9%6%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans–1%1%1%1%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.9%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school21.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.32024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.6%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.2%6.6%7.1%6.5%3.8%6.4%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.5%4.4%4.4%3.8%2.1%3.7%–
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.6%2.2%2.7%2.7%1.7%2.7%–
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence21.0%19.2%22.4%20.4%10.6%17.8%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.30.00.30.00.0––
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000––

Staff and money

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

Teachers13.9full-time equivalent, 15 people
Pupils per teacher21.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants13.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£53,193
Teachers who left in the year7%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher3.32024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£7,100England £7,738. Total £2.2m
Income per pupil£7,016England £7,697. Total £2.2m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,171England £3,480
Money in reserve-6%In the red: -£129k, -£412 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£26kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£7,100spent 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 m58812 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate86 per 1,000 people6% lower than the England average
Typical house price£240,000Leicester
Nearest bus stop120 mClaydon Road, 18 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
Merrydale Junior SchoolAcademy70 m354Good 201931Compare
St Barnabas CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England460 m335Good 202347Compare
North Mead Primary AcademyAcademy790 m447Good 202490Compare
Green Lane Infant SchoolAcademy930 m278Good 202319Compare
Bridge Junior SchoolAcademy0.7 miles295Requires improvement 20221Compare
Falcons Primary SchoolFree school0.7 miles293Good 202369Compare
Sacred Heart Catholic Voluntary AcademyAcademy0.7 miles310Report card 202661Compare
Shenton Primary SchoolAcademy0.8 miles360Good 202014Compare
Primary schools in LeicesterBest primary schools in England

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Merrydale Infant School with the 42 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 42 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats10%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the bottom of its group. Its score of 21 is 50 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 3 · middle 71 · highest 99100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 42 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Merrydale Infant 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
Catherine Infant SchoolCouncil0.9 miles378Outstanding 201979Compare
Saint Patrick's Catholic Voluntary AcademyAcademy1.0 miles221Good 202327Compare
Rushey Mead Primary SchoolCouncil1.0 miles532Good 202452Compare
Uplands Infant SchoolAcademy1.2 miles436Good 202229Compare
Sparkenhoe Community Primary SchoolAcademy1.4 miles450Good 202354Compare
Hazel Community Primary SchoolCouncil2.3 miles410Report card 202665Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 21 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 21% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 9 to 45. 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 years0%no data
–
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.03
Ofsted grade, 2.8 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
–
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.23
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.19
2024/25; 186 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
–
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 Merrydale Infant School a good school?

The figures are weak. Merrydale Infant School scores 21 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 10% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 9 to 45, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Merrydale Infant School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Merrydale Infant School good at its last full inspection on 21 November 2023.

How many pupils does Merrydale Infant School have?

334 pupils aged 3 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 270 places, so it is 124% full.

Is Merrydale Infant 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 Merrydale Infant School?

Pupils were in school 93.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 21% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Merrydale Infant School?

The average class had 25.6 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
Claydon Road, Leicester, LE5 0PL
Telephone
0116 276 7593
Website
www.merrydale-inf.leicester.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mr Mark Tipple-Johnson
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-7, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Leicester
Ward
North Evington
Constituency
Leicester East
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
120023 · LAESTAB 8562264 · UKPRN 10074043
Official recordOfsted reportsGovernment performance tablesDownload this school's data (CSV)

Where these figures come from