Little Bowden School

About Little Bowden School

Little Bowden School sits in the middle of the pack in Leicestershire, and its headline Key Stage 2 results tell a story of a school that is broadly in line with the local average but with a few notable gaps. In the 2023/24 academic year, 56% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is six percentage points below the local authority average of 62%. That places the school 144th out of 231 primary schools in the county, and 23rd out of 32 schools in the Harborough district. The school’s ranking score of 56 puts it in the bottom 50 nationally, though it’s worth noting that individual subject scores are more mixed: 77% hit the expected standard in reading and 75% in writing, while maths sits at 72%. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher standard in all three subjects is just 4%, and only 14% reached that level in maths, suggesting the school is stronger at getting children to a solid baseline than pushing them into the top tier.

Ofsted’s most recent graded inspection, in January 2025, rated the school Good across the board, with all five categories — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — each scoring a 2. That’s a consistent improvement on the previous inspection in 2011, where early years provision was also rated Good but the overall effectiveness was Good too, so the school has held its ground. The parent view, collected between September 2024 and September 2025 from 81 respondents, shows strong satisfaction in some areas: 82% of parents strongly agree or agree that their child is happy, and 86% feel their child is safe. However, there are clear trouble spots. Only 50% of parents agree that SEND children get the support they need, with 50% disagreeing, and 24% of respondents would not recommend the school to another parent — a relatively high figure for a state primary.

The school is oversubscribed, with 122 applications for 40 places in the 2025/26 intake, and 35 of those 40 offers went to first-preference families. That suggests it remains a popular choice locally despite the middling results. Facilities include a sports hall, library, ICT suite, art studios and a chapel, and the school offers a decent range of sports and clubs, from athletics and swimming to eco club and coding. SEND provision covers six areas, including dyslexia, autism and speech and language needs, though the parent feedback on this is notably divided. With 11.7% of pupils eligible for free school meals — slightly below the national average — the school serves a relatively mixed catchment. Little Bowden is a solid, well-regarded option for families who value a Good Ofsted rating and a broad curriculum, but those with high academic expectations or children with SEND may want to dig deeper into the data before applying.

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