Kestrel Mead Primary Academy, Leicester
Kestrel Mead Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Leicester, part of The Mead Educational Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 33rd-highest of the 138 schools in Leicester with published results, and 3,885th of 14,452 across England. It was 92% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2017)
- 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
Kestrel Mead Primary Academy in detail
Kestrel Mead Primary Academy in its own words
In its own words: "INTENT : To ignite a passion for knowledge (resilience), an inquisitive eye (curiosity), a confident voice (respect), a global citizen (compassion) In partnership with our community; to develop happy, healthy, respectful and resilient children who are knowledgeable, aspirational and compassionate citizens with a thirst for learning and a curiosity to explore."
From the headteacher's welcome: "Kestrel Mead is captivating, I challenge you to walk around and not smile at the children’s enthusiasm, work ethic and curiosity that they possess. As Principal, it is an honour to welcome you to our school."
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care, from £2.50 per day.
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 84% of Year 6 pupils at Kestrel Mead Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 84% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 75% in Leicester and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 83% in reading and 77% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Kestrel Mead Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 58 families put Kestrel Mead Primary Academy as their first choice and 130 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 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 Kestrel Mead Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Kestrel Mead Primary Academy are Scraptoft Valley Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 53% reading, 50% maths); Hope Hamilton CofE Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 72% reading, 78% maths); St Joseph's Catholic Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 61% reading, 71% maths); and Humberstone Junior School (0.8 miles, Outstanding, 88% reading, 90% maths).
Kestrel Mead Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Scraptoft Valley Primary SchoolHope Hamilton CofE Primary SchoolSt Joseph's Catholic AcademyHumberstone Junior School
The trust
Kestrel Mead Primary Academy is one of 16 schools run by The Mead Educational Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 69% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
49.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (48%), Mixed (17%) and White British (13%).
Kestrel Mead Primary Academy has a SEN unit for autism: 12 places, 9 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Syston Rail Station, about 2.9 miles away in a straight line.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Hazeldene Road (adjacent), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 198 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Leicester (382).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Kestrel Mead Primary Academy issued 16 suspensions, 2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Kestrel Mead Primary Academy are Orchard Mead Academy (0.4 miles) and Avanti Fields School (0.6 miles).
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 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 agoThis judgement is from March 2017, 9 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its March 2017 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
20.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
SEN unit: Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 84% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 77% to 84% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 82% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.4
Avg class size
25.3
Infant (KS1)
27.8
KS2
29
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Kestrel Mead Primary Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Kestrel Mead Primary Academy.
- Premier Education at St Josephs930m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Kestrel Mead Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Kestrel Mead Primary 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
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
2 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 Kestrel Mead Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Kestrel Mead Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Kestrel Mead Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Kestrel Mead Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Kestrel Mead Primary Academy.
- Leicester publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Kestrel Mead Primary Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Kestrel Mead Primary Academy for 2020 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
92%
Near capacity
772 pupils
837 places
65 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(2)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
91
SEN Support
31
EHC Plans
16.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Kestrel Mead Primary Academy has a SEN unit for autism: 12 places, 9 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
761
Total Pupils
400
Boys
361
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
37
Teachers
20.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,480
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,337
Per pupil
£4531k
Total funding
£261k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.1%
Overall absence
14.0%
Persistent absence
744
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
Kestrel Mead Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Kestrel Mead Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Kestrel Mead Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Kestrel Mead Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 84% reached the expected standard in reading and 84% did so in maths.
What is Kestrel Mead Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Kestrel Mead Primary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Kestrel Mead Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Kestrel Mead Primary 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 Kestrel Mead Primary Academy?
Kestrel Mead Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 92% of its 837 places.
How big are the classes at Kestrel Mead Primary Academy?
Classes at Kestrel Mead Primary Academy average 25.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Kestrel Mead Primary Academy?
Kestrel Mead Primary Academy has around 761 pupils on roll. 21% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Kestrel Mead Primary Academy have specialist SEN provision?
Kestrel Mead Primary Academy has a SEN unit for autism: 12 places, 9 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Kestrel Mead Primary Academy?
5.1% of sessions were missed at Kestrel Mead Primary Academy in 2024/25. 14% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Kestrel Mead Primary Academy?
Apply through Leicester's coordinated admissions process, naming Kestrel Mead Primary Academy 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 Kestrel Mead Primary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Kestrel Mead Primary Academy: Premier Education at St Josephs (930m 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 Kestrel Mead Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 2 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 Kestrel Mead Primary Academy?
Kestrel Mead Primary Academy is at Maidenwell Avenue, Hamilton, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE5 1TG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)