Ridgeway Primary Academy

About Ridgeway Primary Academy

Ridgeway Primary Academy in Harborough was rated Good by Ofsted in its most recent graded inspection, a significant improvement from its previous rating of Requires Improvement. The school’s leadership and management were also judged to be Good. For a more detailed picture of academic performance, the Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 year are the most informative metric available. Here, 62% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which matches the Leicestershire local authority average of 62%. This places Ridgeway in the middle of the pack nationally, ranking 17th out of 32 primary schools in Harborough and in the 51st percentile across England. While the school does not push a high proportion of pupils to the higher standard in these subjects, its reading scores stand out.

Looking closer at the individual subject data, 83% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, with an average scaled score of 106, and 31% achieved the higher standard. In maths, 69% met the expected standard, with an average score of 103, and 24% reached the higher level. Writing was more in line with the combined figure, with 69% at expected and just 7% at the higher standard. The school’s overall ranking score of 62 places it in the bottom 50% of schools nationally, but it is worth noting that this is based on the combined expected standard metric, and the reading outcomes are clearly a relative strength. The school has no data available for pupil progress scores, so it is not possible to assess how much value it adds from starting points, but the attainment figures give a solid baseline for parents to consider.

Ridgeway Primary Academy is a state-funded, mixed primary school for children aged 4 to 11, with no nursery or sixth form provision. It has a capacity of 315 but currently hosts 253 pupils, so there is some room for growth. The school is oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, there were 112 applications for 30 places, with 33 first-preference applications and 30 offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 3.73. Facilities include a library, playing fields, an outdoor playground, a sports hall and a chapel. Sports offered include swimming, football, cricket, tennis, athletics and netball, and there are clubs such as coding, chess, eco club, choir, book club and gardening. The school has identified SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health, speech and language communication, and autistic spectrum disorder. With 11.9% of pupils eligible for free school meals, it serves a fairly typical demographic for the area. This is a school that suits families looking for a solid, improving local option with good reading outcomes and a broad range of extracurricular activities, though those seeking the highest academic attainment may want to look at the top-performing schools in the local authority.

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