Great Bowden Academy, A Church of England Primary School

About Great Bowden Academy, A Church of England Primary School

If you're a parent in Harborough weighing up primary options, the experience of current families at Great Bowden Academy is a strong signal. In the most recent Parent View survey, 95% of respondents said they would recommend the school, and the feedback across individual questions is consistently positive. 79% of parents strongly agreed that their child is happy at the school, and 81% strongly agreed that their child feels safe. On behaviour, 71% strongly agreed the school ensures pupils are well-behaved, while a striking 86% strongly agreed their child can take part in clubs and activities. The school is clearly popular: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 127 applications for just 20 places, with 28 first-preference applications for those 20 spots, giving an oversubscription ratio of 6.35. That level of demand suggests a school that local families are actively choosing.

Academically, Great Bowden Academy performs solidly above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 69% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the Leicestershire local authority average of 62%. Reading is a particular strength: 85% met the expected standard and 46% achieved a higher score. Maths results are also above the LA average, with 69% at expected and an average scaled score of 104. The school ranks 11th out of 32 primary schools in the Harborough local authority area, placing it in the top 34% nationally. Its most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2024 judged the school as Good across all areas, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. This represents a change from its previous Outstanding rating in 2014, but the inspection team noted no areas requiring improvement.

The school offers a range of facilities including a Forest School, ICT suite, gymnasium, sports hall, music rooms and a chapel, and runs clubs such as gardening, drama, science club, book club and choir. Sports on offer include football, athletics, cricket, rounders, dance and netball. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment, multi-sensory impairment and autistic spectrum disorder. With 138 pupils against a capacity of 157, the school is not at full capacity, but the high oversubscription ratio means getting a place is competitive. This is a Church of England primary that suits families who value strong parental satisfaction, above-average academic outcomes, and a broad range of extracurricular opportunities in a relatively small school setting.

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