Great Dalby School, Melton Mowbray
Great Dalby School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Melton Mowbray, part of Bradgate Education Partnership. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 5th-highest of the 19 schools in Melton Mowbray with published results, and 1,876th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.2 first-choice applications for every place. It was 97% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Leicestershire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Great Dalby School in detail
Results
In 2025, 89% of Year 6 pupils at Great Dalby School reached the expected standard in reading and 89% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 77% in Leicestershire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (85% in reading, 90% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Great Dalby School
For September 2026 entry, 24 families put Great Dalby School as their first choice and 86 named it as one of their preferences, for 20 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 4 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Great Dalby School are Swallowdale Primary School and Community Centre (2.2 miles, Good, 73% reading, 58% maths); Saint Francis Catholic Primary School (2.7 miles, Good, 66% reading, 66% maths); Sherard Primary School (2.7 miles, Good, 76% reading, 73% maths); and The Grove Primary School (3.1 miles, Good, 81% reading, 81% maths).
Great Dalby School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Swallowdale Primary School and Community CentreSaint Francis Catholic Primary SchoolSherard Primary SchoolThe Grove Primary School
The trust
Great Dalby School is one of 19 schools run by Bradgate Education Partnership, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
61 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Great Dalby School (as of September 2025): 92% would recommend the school, 93% say their child is happy there and 68% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (68%).
Who goes there
6.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 0.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (91%) and Mixed (5%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Melton Mowbray Rail Station, about 2.8 miles away in a straight line.
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Chapel Building (outside), 240 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 0 crimes within a mile of the school. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Leicestershire (58).
Suspensions and exclusions
Great Dalby School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
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; 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
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from September 2014, 12 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
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Great Dalby School excels at creating a caring, happy environment where pupils are genuinely well looked after and highly engaged in their learning. The school's phonics and reading programme is particularly strong, with pupils becoming fluent readers early. Pupils develop into respectful, well-rounded individuals who take pride in their work and actively contribute to school life through leadership roles and fundraising for charities.
Key Strengths
- Excellent behaviour and attitudes - pupils are polite, respectful, work hard and take pride in their work
- Strong phonics teaching and reading programme - pupils become fluent and keen readers early on
- Ambitious, well-organised curriculum with good subject knowledge from teachers
- Pupils have exceptional learning behaviours and cooperate well with each other
- Mixed-age classes are catered for effectively with coherent knowledge building over time
Areas for Improvement
- Some essential knowledge in certain subjects is not clearly defined in the curriculum, so pupils are not fully prepared to deepen their understanding
- Learning adaptations for pupils with SEND are not always sharp enough to overcome specific barriers, limiting their progress
- Some pupils' grasp of important knowledge in a few subjects is not as secure as it should be
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with robust processes in place to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Lunchtime clubs run by pupils, reading competitions, reading shed activities
Great Dalby School is a primary academy with high expectations and an ambitious curriculum where pupils achieve well. The school has strong behaviour and attitudes, with a focus on helping pupils develop into well-rounded, respectful individuals.
At a Glance
6.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
61 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 85% to 89% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 89% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 90% to 79% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.7
Avg class size
28.0
Infant (KS1)
30.5
KS2
3
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Great Dalby School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Great Dalby School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Great Dalby School is in Leicestershire; for families living there:
- Leicestershire's school travel policy: Mainstream School Transport for 5 to 16 year olds
- How to apply: Request for school transport on medical grounds form PDF, 359.48 KB Opens new window
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Leicestershire is 3 (the median across 329 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 Great Dalby School
Will you get a place at Great Dalby School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Great Dalby School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Great Dalby School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Great Dalby School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Leicestershire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Great Dalby School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Leicestershire 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
97%
Near capacity
136 pupils
140 places
4 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Melton Mowbray
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Melton Mowbray
Across Leicestershire council
Places available
8,574
Applications
6,827
Got 1st preference
94.0%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All primary applications across Leicestershire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
18
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
16.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
137
Total Pupils
79
Boys
58
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
8
Teachers
17.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,996
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,298
Per pupil
£774k
Total funding
£6k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.1%
Overall absence
6.7%
Persistent absence
119
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Great Dalby School
What are SATs results like at Great Dalby School?
Of the pupils at Great Dalby School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 89% reached the expected standard in reading and 89% did so in maths.
What is Great Dalby School's Ofsted rating?
Great Dalby School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2014, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Great Dalby School?
No fixed boundary. When Great Dalby School is oversubscribed, Leicestershire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Great Dalby School?
Great Dalby School was close to full in 2025, at 97% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Great Dalby School?
Classes at Great Dalby School average 29.7 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Great Dalby School?
Great Dalby School has around 137 pupils on roll. 7% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Great Dalby School?
4.1% of sessions were missed at Great Dalby School in 2024/25. 6.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Great Dalby School?
Apply through Leicestershire's coordinated admissions process, naming Great Dalby 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.
How many road collisions happen near Great Dalby School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Leicestershire is 3 (the median across 329 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Great Dalby School?
Great Dalby School is at Top End, Great Dalby, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE14 2HA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)