Ab Kettleby Primary School

About Ab Kettleby Primary School

Ab Kettleby Primary School’s headline KS2 results sit well below the Leicestershire local authority average, which is a key point for parents to weigh up. In the 2023/24 academic year, just 36% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a county average of 62%. That places the school 196th out of 231 primary schools in Leicestershire, putting it firmly in the bottom half locally and in the bottom 5% nationally. However, the picture is more nuanced when you look at individual subjects. Reading scores are a relative strength: 82% of pupils met the expected standard and 36% achieved a higher standard, with an average scaled score of 107. Maths is more mixed, with 64% at expected and an average score of 101, while writing lags behind at just 45% expected. The school’s ranking in Melton is bottom of the 18 primaries, but that’s a very small local pool.

Ofsted rated the school Good overall in its most recent graded inspection in December 2022, with Good across every category including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. That consistency is worth noting, especially given the school’s small size of just 67 pupils against a capacity of 77. Progress scores for KS2 aren’t available in the data, so it’s hard to say whether pupils are making strong gains from their starting points, but the reading results suggest some areas are working well. The previous inspection in 2013 also rated the school Good, so there’s a track record of solid, if not outstanding, provision. With 11.9% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a slightly above-average proportion of disadvantaged children compared with the national primary average.

For families considering Ab Kettleby, the practical picture is one of a very small, oversubscribed village school. In the 2025/26 admissions round, the school received 45 applications for just 11 places, with 10 first-preference offers made — an oversubscription ratio of 4.09, meaning it’s highly sought-after despite the middling results. Facilities are surprisingly strong for a small school, including a Forest School, sensory room, sports hall, music rooms, and a chapel. SEND support covers social, emotional and mental health needs, plus speech, language and communication. Clubs include book club, film club and choir, while sports offered range from netball and tennis to swimming and dance. This school will suit families who prioritise a close-knit, rural setting with good pastoral care and a broad range of activities, but who are comfortable with academic outcomes that fall short of the local average.

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