Babington Academy, Leicester
Babington Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Leicester, part of Learning Without Limits Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2023. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 33rd-highest of the 35 schools in Leicester with published results, and 3,048th of 3,298 across England. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Well below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Leicester (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Babington Academy in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Babington Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 36.1, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.1 in Leicester and 47 across England.
27% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 46% in Leicester and 47% in England.
That is down from 38 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.8: pupils made well below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 30.9, against 41.1 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.2 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and Business Studies.
Getting a place at Babington Academy
For September 2026 entry, 180 families put Babington Academy as their first choice and 276 named it as one of their preferences, for 212 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Babington Academy are Beaumont Leys School (0.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.3); English Martyrs' Catholic School, A Voluntary Academy (0.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 55.4); Brook Mead Academy (1.2 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 46.6); and The Herewoode Academy (1.5 miles, Attainment 8 38).
Each of them had higher 2026 results than Babington Academy.
Beaumont Leys SchoolEnglish Martyrs' Catholic School, A Voluntary AcademyBrook Mead AcademyThe Herewoode Academy
The trust
Babington Academy is one of 5 schools run by Learning Without Limits Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 37.1 in 2024/25.
Where pupils go next
Of the 264 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 78% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 29% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.
Who goes there
49.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 48.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (34%), Black (22%) and Asian (22%).
Babington Academy has a SEN unit for speech, language and communication needs: 30 places, 0 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Leicester North (Great Central Railway), about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Butterwick Drive (adjacent), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Babington Academy stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Babington Academy issued 229 suspensions, 17 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 4 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Babington Academy are Barley Croft Primary School (0.2 miles), Buswells Lodge Primary School (0.3 miles), Woodstock Primary Academy (0.7 miles) and Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Barley Croft Primary SchoolBuswells Lodge Primary SchoolWoodstock Primary AcademyAlderman Richard Hallam Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its March 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
About
Babington Academy is an 11–16 mixed secondary school with academy status in Beaumont Leys, Leicester, Leicestershire, England. It is part of the Learning without Limits Academy Trust.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
49.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
SEN unit: Speech and language
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has declined from -0.53 to -0.80 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 37.1 to 36.1 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 27% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 36.1 | 27.1% |
| Disadvantaged(128) | - | 30.9 | 20.3% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(134) | - | 41.1 | 33.6% |
| Boys(135) | - | 35.3 | 27.4% |
| Girls(127) | - | 37.0 | 26.8% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(138) | - | 42.5 | 33.3% |
| Non mobile(247) | - | 36.8 | 27.1% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 5 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 264 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
4
Permanent exclusions
0.30%
Exclusion rate
229
Suspensions
17.01%
Suspension rate
111 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,346 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Babington Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Babington Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Babington Academy is in Leicester; for families living there:
Apply to Leicester for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 16
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 16 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 2 serious and 13 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
4 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Leicester is 24.5 (the median across 142 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Babington Academy
Will you get a place at Babington Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Babington Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Babington Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Babington Academy.
- Leicester publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Babington Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Babington Academy for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Leicester got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
101%
Over capacity
1,357 pupils
1,343 places
14 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Leicester
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Leicester
Across Leicester council
Places available
4,570
Applications
4,613
Got 1st preference
83.9%
Got preferred school
94.9%
All secondary applications across Leicester council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
238
SEN Support
73
EHC Plans
23.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Babington Academy has a SEN unit for speech, language and communication needs: 30 places, 0 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,339
Total Pupils
686
Boys
653
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
95
Teachers
14.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,863
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£8,408
Per pupil
£12150k
Total funding
£672k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
11.2%
Overall absence
30.3%
Persistent absence
1,434
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Babington Academy
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Babington Academy
What are GCSE results like at Babington Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Babington Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 36.1. 27% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Babington Academy's Ofsted rating?
Babington Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2013 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Babington Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Babington Academy is oversubscribed, Leicester allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Babington Academy?
Babington Academy was full in 2025, at 101% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Babington Academy?
Classes at Babington Academy average 24.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Babington Academy?
Babington Academy has around 1339 pupils on roll. 49% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Babington Academy have specialist SEN provision?
Babington Academy has a SEN unit for speech, language and communication needs: 30 places, 0 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Babington Academy?
11.2% of sessions were missed at Babington Academy in 2024/25. 30.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Babington Academy?
Apply through Leicester's coordinated admissions process, naming Babington Academy on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Babington Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 16 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 2 serious and 13 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 4 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Leicester is 24.5 (the median across 142 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Babington Academy?
Babington Academy is at Strasbourg Drive, Beaumont Leys, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE4 0SZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)