John Ferneley College, Melton Mowbray
John Ferneley College is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Melton Mowbray, part of Mowbray Education Trust Limited. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2024. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 33rd-highest of the 43 schools in Leicestershire with published results, and 2,397th of 3,298 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Leicestershire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
John Ferneley College in detail
John Ferneley College in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Hello. I am delighted to welcome you to John Ferneley College. My name is Terry Claridge and I am the Headteacher at John Ferneley, having started in April 2024. Being a part of John Ferneley also means being a part of the Mowbray Education Trust."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at John Ferneley College averaged an Attainment 8 score of 41.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.8 in Leicestershire and 47 across England.
33% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 47% in Leicestershire and 47% in England.
That is down from 43.8 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.34: pupils made 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 28.6, against 45.5 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 16.9 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 27 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Business Studies and Geography.
Getting a place at John Ferneley College
For September 2026 entry, 139 families put John Ferneley College as their first choice and 365 named it as one of their preferences, for 159 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 John Ferneley College
The trust
John Ferneley College is one of 8 schools run by Mowbray Education Trust Limited, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 233 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 86% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 47% to a further education college, 5% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.
Who goes there
5.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 140 pupils (12%) received SEN support and 33 (2.8%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Melton Mowbray Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is John Ferneley College (inside), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood John Ferneley College stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, John Ferneley College issued 284 suspensions, 23.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to John Ferneley College are St Mary's Church of England Primary School (0.6 miles), Brownlow Primary School (1 mile), The Grove Primary School (1.1 miles) and Saint Francis Catholic Primary School (1.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
St Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolBrownlow Primary SchoolThe Grove Primary SchoolSaint Francis Catholic 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 · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its April 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement), Leadership & management (Requires Improvement).
About
John Ferneley College is a mixed college located in Melton Mowbray in the English county of Leicestershire. The college is part of the Mowbray Education Trust, a multi-academy trust that includes JFC and several primary schools in the local area.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
19.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from -0.47 to -0.34 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 43.9 to 41.7 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 42% to 33% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 41.7 | 33.3% |
| Disadvantaged(54) | - | 28.6 | 11.1% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(183) | - | 45.5 | 39.9% |
| Boys(110) | - | 39.6 | 31.8% |
| Girls(127) | - | 43.4 | 34.6% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(13) | - | 41.1 | 30.8% |
| Non mobile(230) | - | 42.4 | 34.3% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 7 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 233 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
2
Permanent exclusions
0.17%
Exclusion rate
284
Suspensions
23.79%
Suspension rate
122 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,194 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 1 nearby secondary school
Keep up with John Ferneley College
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to John Ferneley College from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. John Ferneley College 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
- 1
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.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
1 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 John Ferneley College
Will you get a place at John Ferneley College? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against John Ferneley College's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for John Ferneley College:
- The straight-line distance from your home to John Ferneley College.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Leicestershire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at John Ferneley College 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
99%
Near capacity
1,194 pupils
1,200 places
6 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
8,516
Applications
7,490
Got 1st preference
90.2%
Got preferred school
98.1%
All secondary applications across Leicestershire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
140
SEN Support
33
EHC Plans
14.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,170
Total Pupils
575
Boys
595
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
68
Teachers
17.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,997
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,612
Per pupil
£8305k
Total funding
£224k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.7%
Overall absence
23.9%
Persistent absence
1,224
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
Questions parents ask about John Ferneley College
What are GCSE results like at John Ferneley College?
In the 2026 results, pupils at John Ferneley College achieved an Attainment 8 score of 41.7. 33% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is John Ferneley College's Ofsted rating?
John Ferneley College was rated Requires Improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in April 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2015 it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for John Ferneley College?
No fixed boundary. When John Ferneley College is oversubscribed, Leicestershire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at John Ferneley College?
John Ferneley College was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at John Ferneley College?
Classes at John Ferneley College average 25.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to John Ferneley College?
John Ferneley College has around 1170 pupils on roll. 19% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at John Ferneley College?
9.7% of sessions were missed at John Ferneley College in 2024/25. 23.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to John Ferneley College?
Apply through Leicestershire's coordinated admissions process, naming John Ferneley College 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 John Ferneley College?
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. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 1 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 John Ferneley College?
John Ferneley College is at Scalford Road, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE13 1LH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)