Billesdon Church of England Primary School

About Billesdon Church of England Primary School

Billesdon Church of England Primary School is a small state primary in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, and it punches well above its weight in local rankings. Among 32 primary schools in the Harborough local authority, it sits at number 2, placing it in the top 6% of schools in the area. Its closest competitors at the top of the table are Swithland St Leonard's Church of England Primary School, Brocks Hill Primary School, and Long Whatton Church of England Primary School and Community Centre. Nationally, the school ranks in the top 12% of all primaries, and within the East Midlands it sits at 128 out of 1,353 schools. With just 89 pupils on a capacity of 105, it is a genuinely small village school, and its Church of England character is reflected in the on-site chapel among its facilities. Headteacher Elaine Horton leads a school that has clearly found a strong academic footing.

The school's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2025, awarded Good ratings across the board for quality of education, early years provision, personal development, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management. This marks a notable improvement from its previous graded inspection in March 2023, when the school was rated Requires Improvement overall. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 80% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well above the Leicestershire local authority average of 62%. Every pupil reached the expected standard in both reading and maths individually, with average scores of 109 and 107 respectively. A third of pupils achieved the higher standard in reading and maths, though none did so in writing. The school's progress scores are not available, but the attainment figures alone place it among the strongest performers in Harborough.

The school is clearly popular with local families: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 25 applications for just 10 places, an oversubscription ratio of 2.5 to 1, with all nine first-preference applicants offered a spot. Parent View responses from 39 families show strong satisfaction, with 90% saying they would recommend the school. Over 80% of parents strongly agreed or agreed that their child is happy and feels safe. The school offers a range of facilities including a sports hall, gymnasium, playing fields, music rooms, art studios, and a sensory room. Clubs include book club, coding, science club and film club, while sports on offer are cricket, netball, dance and athletics. SEND support is available for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, and social, emotional and mental health needs, though 15% of parents strongly disagreed that SEND children receive the support they need, a point worth investigating. This is a strong, sought-after village primary for families who can secure a place.

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