Sense College Loughborough, Loughborough
Sense College Loughborough is a special school for pupils aged 16 to 25 in Loughborough. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Sense College Loughborough in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Sense College Loughborough are Compass Community School Mountfields Park (0.4 miles, Good); Hardwick House School (0.5 miles); ASPIRE: Lifeskills (0.5 miles, Good); and Ashmount School (1.2 miles, Outstanding).
Compass Community School Mountfields ParkHardwick House SchoolASPIRE: LifeskillsAshmount School
Who goes there
Sense College Loughborough has a SEN unit for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, visual impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties and severe learning difficulties. Sense College Loughborough is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Loughborough Central (Great Central Railway), about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Sense College (outside), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 469 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.
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Source: Ofsted, further education and skills inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Sense College creates a warm, welcoming environment where students with high needs truly flourish. The college combines excellent specialist support services with real-world learning opportunities through the Green Shop and Bell Bar Cafe, helping students develop practical skills and confidence. Teachers and support staff are highly qualified and skilled at adapting lessons so every student can participate and succeed.
Key Strengths
- Caring, supportive and inclusive environment that helps students grow confidence and make friends
- Effective coordination of specialist support including speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and music therapy
- Strong transition arrangements and careers guidance that help most students achieve positive destinations
- Experienced and well-qualified teachers who use assistive technologies and adaptations to ensure all students can participate
- Clear leadership vision with regular curriculum reviews and excellent staff training opportunities
Areas for Improvement
- Students need better recall of signs related to radicalisation and extremism risks
- Inconsistent use of behaviour strategies by some teachers and support workers to maintain student participation in lessons
- Some students miss important class time when attending other activities
- Questioning techniques not always used effectively to check student understanding before moving to new topics
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with students understanding the importance of staying safe and how to report concerns.
Extracurricular Activities
Yoga, dance, sports, Makaton choir, Green Shop, Bell Bar Cafe, workplace visits, work placements, volunteering opportunities
Sense College Loughborough is an independent specialist college for students aged 16-25 with high needs and education, health and care plans. The college maintains a Good overall effectiveness rating, providing support across learning for life, creative and enterprise, and vocational pathways.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
SEN unit: SpLD, Vision, Speech and language +5
SEN Provision
Approved
Section 41
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Sense College Loughborough
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Sense College Loughborough from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Sense College Loughborough 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
- 25
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 9
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 25 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 9 serious and 16 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
6 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
Capacity & Demand
Area Demand Pressure - Loughborough
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Loughborough
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.
Inspection History(14)
Special educational needs provision
Sense College Loughborough has a SEN unit for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, visual impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties and severe learning difficulties.
Sense College Loughborough is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
Source: Get Information about Schools (GIAS), Department for Education.
Questions parents ask about Sense College Loughborough
What is Sense College Loughborough's Ofsted rating?
Sense College Loughborough was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2025.
What is the catchment area for Sense College Loughborough?
No fixed boundary. When Sense College Loughborough is oversubscribed, Leicestershire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Does Sense College Loughborough have specialist SEN provision?
Sense College Loughborough has a SEN unit for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, visual impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties and severe learning difficulties. Sense College Loughborough is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
How do I apply to Sense College Loughborough?
Apply through Leicestershire's coordinated admissions process, naming Sense College Loughborough on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Sense College Loughborough?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 25 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 9 serious and 16 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 6 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 Sense College Loughborough?
Sense College Loughborough is at Radmoor Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3BS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)