Orchard Mead Academy, Leicester

Ofsted's report card from its 2 June 2026 inspection grades Orchard Mead Academy on 6 areas: 1 strong standard, 4 expected standard and 1 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Leaders have established a cohesive and ambitious approach to inclusion that ensures that pupils' needs are identified early and addressed effectively."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders have made attendance a clear priority."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have developed a broad and coherent curriculum that reflects national requirements and is thoughtfully adapted to the school's context."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have established a clear and purposeful vision that reflects the school's complex context."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders provide a broad programme of personal development through the ‘growth' curriculum, tutor time, assemblies and a range of wider opportunities."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Recent examination results show that pupils' outcomes are improving."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that the quality of teaching is consistent, so that all pupils develop a secure understanding of important knowledge and become increasingly independent in their learning"; "Leaders should accelerate improvements in pupils' achievement by ensuring that gaps in pupils' learning are resolved quickly and consistently, so that pupils' achievements are in line with national averages"; "Leaders should continue to strengthen their work to improve attendance, particularly persistent absence, so that overall attendance rises more rapidly to be in line with national figures and improvements are sustained across all groups"; "Leaders should ensure that pupils develop a secure understanding of the personal development curriculum, particularly in relation to religious education and fundamental British values, so that they can confidently recall, explain and apply their learning about different faiths, cultures and wider societal issues"; "Leaders should further strengthen their evaluation and quality assurance processes so that they identify key priorities sharply, evaluate the impact of actions rigorously and ensure that improvements in teaching, achievement and attendance are implemented consistently and at pace across the school".

In its own words: "At Orchard Mead Academy all students, staff and parents share a common vision to Make a Positive Difference. This underpins everything we do and will help us to achieve the best outcomes for all students. At Orchard Mead Academy we work together to Make A Positive Difference:"

The school runs a breakfast club.

Coming up: an admissions event on Thursday 19 November 2026, an admissions event on Friday 11 December 2026, an admissions event on Thursday 4 February 2027 and an admissions event on Thursday 11 March 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at Orchard Mead Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 40.4, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.1 in Leicester and 47 across England.

34% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 46% in Leicester and 47% in England.

That is up from 38.9 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.69: 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 31.2, against 46.8 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 15.6 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and History.

For September 2026 entry, 153 families put Orchard Mead Academy as their first choice and 250 named it as one of their preferences, for 205 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Orchard Mead Academy are Avanti Fields School (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 54.2); St Paul's Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy (1.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.8); The City of Leicester College (1.9 miles, Attainment 8 48.3); and Judgemeadow Community College (2.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.9).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Orchard Mead Academy.

Orchard Mead Academy is one of 16 schools run by The Mead Educational Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 47 in 2024/25.

Of the 228 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 81% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 35% to a further education college and 1% into work.

42.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 41.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (43%), Asian (26%) and Mixed (13%).

Orchard Mead Academy has a SEN unit for speech, language and communication needs and social, emotional and mental health needs: 40 places, 10 pupils on roll.

The nearest railway station is Syston Rail Station, about 3.2 miles away in a straight line.

9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Seaton Rise (opposite), 50 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 197 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).

In 2024/25, Orchard Mead Academy issued 687 suspensions, 65.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Orchard Mead Academy are Scraptoft Valley Primary School (0.3 miles), Kestrel Mead Primary Academy (0.4 miles), St Joseph's Catholic Academy (0.6 miles) and Hope Hamilton CofE Primary School (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.