Sparkenhoe Community Primary School

About Sparkenhoe Community Primary School

Sparkenhoe Community Primary School in Leicester holds a Good rating from its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, but the detail behind that grade tells a more nuanced story. The school was previously rated Outstanding back in 2010, so the drop to Good represents a significant shift. However, inspectors still judged personal development and behaviour and attitudes as Outstanding, which suggests the school excels at supporting children beyond just academic results. On the key exam metric for primary schools, 75% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined at Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year. That figure sits well above the Leicester local authority average of 62%, placing Sparkenhoe 11th out of 68 primary schools in the area and inside the top 25% nationally. For parents focused on academic outcomes, this is a school that clearly performs above the local norm.

Digging into the individual subject results, the school’s strengths become clearer. In reading, 89% of pupils reached the expected standard, with 31% achieving the higher standard, while in maths 85% hit the expected mark and 35% reached the higher threshold. Writing was the weakest area, with 76% at expected and only 11% at the higher level. The average scaled scores for reading and maths both came in at 106, which is slightly above the national benchmark of 100. The school’s overall ranking score of 75 reflects this solid performance, though it trails the top three Leicester primaries — Whitehall, St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy and Queensmead Primary Academy — which all scored 87 or above. For context, only five primary schools in Leicester currently hold an Outstanding rating from Ofsted, with the nearest being Catherine Infant School about 1.7 km away.

Sparkenhoe is a three-form entry primary with a nursery, offering 60 places for Reception in the 2025/26 admissions round. It was oversubscribed, with 112 total applications and 71 first-preference requests for those 60 spots, giving a ratio of 1.87 applicants per place. The school serves a diverse community, with 25% of pupils eligible for free school meals, slightly above the national average. Facilities include art studios, music rooms, a sensory room and a chapel, while sports provision covers swimming, rounders, dance and athletics. The SEND support is comprehensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, visual impairment, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. This is a solid, well-regarded local primary that suits families who want above-average academic outcomes within a supportive environment, particularly those who value strong personal development and behaviour standards.

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