Saint Francis Catholic Primary School, Melton Mowbray
Saint Francis Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Melton Mowbray, part of St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Multi Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 14th-highest of the 19 schools in Melton Mowbray with published results, and 11,625th of 14,452 across England. It was 66% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below 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 Leicestershire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Saint Francis Catholic Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils at Saint Francis Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 66% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 77% in Leicestershire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 79% in reading and 71% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Saint Francis Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 25 families put Saint Francis Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 61 named it as one of their preferences, for 25 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Saint Francis Catholic Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Saint Francis Catholic Primary School are Swallowdale Primary School and Community Centre (0.5 miles, Good, 73% reading, 58% maths); The Grove Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 81% reading, 81% maths); Sherard Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 76% reading, 73% maths); and Brownlow Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 75% reading, 77% maths).
Saint Francis Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Swallowdale Primary School and Community CentreThe Grove Primary SchoolSherard Primary SchoolBrownlow Primary School
The trust
Saint Francis Catholic Primary School is one of 23 schools run by St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Multi Academy Trust, 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.
All 23 schools in St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Multi Academy Trust
Who goes there
In 2026, 32 pupils (16.2%) received SEN support and 12 (6.1%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
Saint Francis Catholic Primary School had 7 teachers in 2026, one for every 30 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Melton Mowbray Rail Station, about 300 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Drive (opposite), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 187 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 Leicestershire (58), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Saint Francis Catholic Primary School issued 14 suspensions, 6.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Saint Francis Catholic Primary School are Long Field Spencer Academy (0.5 miles) and John Ferneley College (1.5 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; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from May 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 May 2017 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
20.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 79% to 66% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 71% to 66% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 79% to 63% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.1
Avg class size
21.3
Infant (KS1)
33.3
KS2
7
Total classes
4 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Saint Francis Catholic Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Saint Francis Catholic Primary School.
- Stagecoach Melton Mowbray650m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Saint Francis Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Saint Francis Catholic Primary 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
- 19
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 19 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 15 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
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 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 Saint Francis Catholic Primary School
Will you get a place at Saint Francis Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Saint Francis Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Saint Francis Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Saint Francis Catholic Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Leicestershire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Saint Francis Catholic Primary School for 2019 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
66%
Available places
209 pupils
315 places
106 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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
32
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
22.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
197
Total Pupils
106
Boys
91
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
7
Teachers
28.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,119
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,293
Per pupil
£1193k
Total funding
£58k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.9%
Overall absence
7.4%
Persistent absence
188
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
Saint Francis Catholic Primary School
Questions parents ask about Saint Francis Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at Saint Francis Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at Saint Francis Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 66% reached the expected standard in reading and 66% did so in maths.
What is Saint Francis Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Saint Francis Catholic Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Saint Francis Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Saint Francis Catholic Primary 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 Saint Francis Catholic Primary School?
Saint Francis Catholic Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 66% of its 315 places.
How big are the classes at Saint Francis Catholic Primary School?
Classes at Saint Francis Catholic Primary School average 28.1 pupils (2025/26). 4 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Saint Francis Catholic Primary School?
Saint Francis Catholic Primary School has around 197 pupils on roll. 20% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Saint Francis Catholic Primary School?
4.9% of sessions were missed at Saint Francis Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 7.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Saint Francis Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Leicestershire's coordinated admissions process, naming Saint Francis Catholic Primary 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 Saint Francis Catholic Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Saint Francis Catholic Primary School: Stagecoach Melton Mowbray (650m 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 Saint Francis Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 19 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 15 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 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 Leicestershire is 3 (the median across 329 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Saint Francis Catholic Primary School?
Saint Francis Catholic Primary School is at Dalby Road, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE13 0BP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)