Find the best primary schools in Leicester. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
Leicester has 85 primary schools, all in Leicester council's area. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 85, 14 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any Leicester primary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| Parks Primary School | Mixed | 4.7 / 5 |
| Catherine Infant School | Mixed | 4.7 / 5 |
| Caldecote Community Primary School | Mixed | 4.6 / 5 |
| Humberstone Junior School | Mixed | 4.6 / 5 |
| Abbey Mead Primary Academy | Mixed | 4.5 / 5 |
| Queensmead Primary Academy | Mixed | 4.5 / 5 |
| St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy | Roman Catholic | 4.4 / 5 |
| Uplands Infant School | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
There are 85 primary schools in Leicester. Of those, 2 are all-through schools, teaching both primary and secondary years.
Apply by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 85 primary schools in Leicester, 14 have a religious character: 6 Roman Catholic, 5 Church of England, 2 Hindu and 1 Sikh. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
On our star rating, the highest rated are Parks Primary School (4.7), Catherine Infant School (4.7), Caldecote Community Primary School (4.6), Humberstone Junior School (4.6) and Abbey Mead Primary Academy (4.5). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and SATs results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. Of the 85 schools here, 81 have enough published data for a rating.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
| Humberstone Infant Academy | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| Krishna Avanti Primary School | Hindu | 4.3 / 5 |
| Overdale Infant School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Rowlatts Mead Primary Academy | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Falcons Primary School | Sikh | 4.2 / 5 |
| Linden Primary School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Evington Valley Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Kestrel Mead Primary Academy | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Merrydale Infant School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Avanti Fields School | Hindu, all-through | 4.0 / 5 |
| Highfields Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Avenue Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Beaumont Lodge Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| St John the Baptist CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| Sparkenhoe Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Whitehall Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Willowbrook Mead Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Braunstone Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Mayflower Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Herrick Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Montrose School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Mellor Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Christ the King Catholic Voluntary Academy | Roman Catholic | 3.8 / 5 |
| Hazel Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Fosse Mead Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Granby Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Merrydale Junior School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Uplands Junior L.E.A.D. Academy | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Medway Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Overdale Junior School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Catherine Junior School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Stokes Wood Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Glebelands Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| North Mead Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Saint Patrick's Catholic Voluntary Academy | Roman Catholic | 3.3 / 5 |
| Braunstone Frith Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Knighton Mead Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Spinney Hill Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| St Barnabas CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.3 / 5 |
| Taylor Road Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Wyvern Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Sandfield Close Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Dovelands Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Sacred Heart Catholic Voluntary Academy | Roman Catholic | 3.2 / 5 |
| Mowmacre Hill Primary School | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| Inglehurst Junior School | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| Charnwood Primary School | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| Heatherbrook Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Belgrave St Peter's CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.1 / 5 |
| Shaftesbury Junior School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Thurnby Mead Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| Forest Lodge Academy | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| Inglehurst Infant School | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| Folville Junior School | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy | Roman Catholic | 2.9 / 5 |
| St Joseph's Catholic Academy | Roman Catholic | 2.9 / 5 |
| Hope Hamilton CofE Primary School | Church of England | 2.9 / 5 |
| St Mary's Fields Academy | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Tudor Grange Samworth Academy, A church of England School | Church of England, all-through | 2.8 / 5 |
| Slater Primary School | Mixed | 2.8 / 5 |
| Marriott Primary School | Mixed | 2.8 / 5 |
| Shenton Primary School | Mixed | 2.7 / 5 |
| Coleman Primary School | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| Wolsey House Primary School | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| Eyres Monsell Primary School | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| Rushey Mead Primary School | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 |
| Woodstock Primary Academy | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 |
| Rolleston Primary School | Mixed | 2.0 / 5 |
| King Richard III Infant and Nursery School | Mixed | 2.0 / 5 |
| Barley Croft Primary School | Mixed | 1.9 / 5 |
| Bridge Junior School | Mixed | 1.5 / 5 |
| Scraptoft Valley Primary School | Mixed | 1.0 / 5 |
| Buswells Lodge Primary School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Green Lane Infant School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Imperial Avenue Infant School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Taylor Road Primary School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you. Appeals for Reception to Year 2 rarely succeed, because infant classes are limited to 30 pupils by law and a panel can only admit above that limit in narrow circumstances.