Catherine Infant School, Leicester
Catherine Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 7 in Leicester. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. It was 96% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Leicester (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Catherine Infant School in detail
Catherine Infant School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, cricket, tennis, multi-sports, dance, Lego and gardening.
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Catherine Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 80 families put Catherine Infant School as their first choice and 127 named it as one of their preferences, for 83 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Catherine Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Catherine Infant School are Catherine Junior School (0.1 miles, Good, 57% reading, 67% maths); Taylor Road Primary School (0.4 miles); Shenton Primary School (0.5 miles, 70% reading, 73% maths); and Abbey Mead Primary Academy (0.5 miles, Outstanding, 76% reading, 89% maths).
Catherine Junior SchoolTaylor Road Primary SchoolShenton Primary SchoolAbbey Mead Primary Academy
What parents say
12 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Catherine Infant School (as of September 2025): 92% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 67% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (67%).
Who goes there
13% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 83.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (85%) and other ethnic groups (5%).
Catherine Infant School has a SEN unit for autism: 10 places, 10 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Leicester Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Martin Street (opposite), 50 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 837 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Leicester (382), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
Catherine Infant School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Catherine Infant School are Moat Community College (0.9 miles), Soar Valley College (1 mile) and Rushey Mead Academy (1.1 miles).
Moat Community CollegeSoar Valley CollegeRushey Mead Academy
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from November 2019, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Your child will thrive in a warm, nurturing environment where kindness, respect and a love of learning are at the heart of everything. Teachers are experts in their subjects and help every child make strong progress, especially in reading and maths. The school builds confident, articulate learners who also develop strong character and understanding of different cultures and beliefs.
Key Strengths
- Rigorous and ambitious curriculum with excellent subject knowledge delivered by staff across all classes
- Highly effective phonics teaching and strong focus on reading, with tailored support for struggling readers and those with SEND
- Exemplary pupil behaviour with very clear, consistently applied expectations
- Excellent early years provision where children settle seamlessly and develop communication and language skills
- Exceptional wider personal development through curriculum, visits, and leadership opportunities such as eco-warriors and school parliamentarians
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Clubs, visits to local church, mandir, botanical gardens, galleries and museums, eco-warriors, school parliament
Catherine Infant School has maintained its outstanding standards with a nurturing atmosphere where pupils thrive academically and develop strong character. The school has implemented a rigorous curriculum with excellent teaching, strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics, and exemplary pupil behaviour.
At a Glance
13.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
SEN unit: Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
12 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
23.8
Avg class size
26.7
Infant (KS1)
14
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Catherine Infant School
From Catherine Infant School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Catherine Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Catherine Infant School.
- Premier Education at Taylor Road540m away · Not yet graded
- Leicester Learning600m away · Not yet graded
- S&H Tuition and After School club800m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Catherine Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Catherine Infant School 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
- 25
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 8
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 25 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 17 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
5 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 Catherine Infant School
Will you get a place at Catherine Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Catherine Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Catherine Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Catherine Infant School.
- Leicester publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Catherine Infant School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Catherine Infant School for 2014 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
96%
Near capacity
344 pupils
360 places
16 spare places 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
4,828
Applications
3,626
Got 1st preference
96.8%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All primary applications across Leicester council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
57
SEN Support
21
EHC Plans
20.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Catherine Infant School has a SEN unit for autism: 10 places, 10 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
378
Total Pupils
192
Boys
186
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
20
Teachers
18.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,943
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,560
Per pupil
£2155k
Total funding
£85k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.4%
Overall absence
16.9%
Persistent absence
260
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Catherine Infant School
Questions parents ask about Catherine Infant School
What is Catherine Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Catherine Infant School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2019, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Catherine Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Catherine Infant School is oversubscribed, Leicester allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Catherine Infant School?
Catherine Infant School was close to full in 2025, at 96% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Catherine Infant School?
Classes at Catherine Infant School average 23.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Catherine Infant School?
Catherine Infant School has around 378 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Catherine Infant School have specialist SEN provision?
Catherine Infant School has a SEN unit for autism: 10 places, 10 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Catherine Infant School?
5.4% of sessions were missed at Catherine Infant School in 2024/25. 16.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Catherine Infant School?
Apply through Leicester's coordinated admissions process, naming Catherine Infant School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Catherine Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 3 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Catherine Infant School: Premier Education at Taylor Road (540m away, registered, not yet graded), Leicester Learning (600m away, registered, not yet graded) and S&H Tuition and After School club (800m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Catherine Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 25 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 17 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 5 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 Catherine Infant School?
Catherine Infant School is at Ulverscroft Road, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE4 6BY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)