Fullhurst Community College Review 2026: Two-campus secondary in Leicester

On Imperial Avenue in Beaumont Leys, Fullhurst Community College still carries a 1930s red-brick façade and clock tower as part of its Imperial Campus, while younger year groups start out on the newer Fosse Campus, opened in 2019. It is a big-school set-up, designed to give Year 7 and Year 8 a slightly more contained base before they move across for Years 9 to 11.

Fullhurst is a state secondary school for boys and girls aged 11 to 16 in Leicester, Leicestershire, with a published capacity of 1,500. The most recent Ofsted inspection rated the school Good. For families, the headline is a school that aims to combine scale with structure: clear values, a defined transition model, and a strong emphasis on enrichment alongside the core timetable.

There is a “one school, two campuses” rhythm here, and it shapes the feel of the place. Year 7 and Year 8 begin at Fosse Campus, then move to Imperial Campus for Years 9 to 11. It is a practical way to handle numbers and it can also help the youngest students settle with fewer older teenagers around them all day.

The school’s stated values are Respect, Kindness, Determination and Unity, and they are presented as more than just slogans. The expectation is that students learn routines, contribute to the community around them, and build confidence through doing, not just listening. For a large 11 to 16, this matters: families often judge a school by how it handles the small moments, corridors between lessons, turning up prepared, resetting after mistakes.

Leadership is led by Executive Headteacher Mrs C Bailey, and the wider senior team is clearly signposted. The tone this creates is purposeful rather than showy: a community school working with the realities of Leicester life, including a commitment to inclusion and a specialist strand for students with additional needs.

GCSE results

Fullhurst’s published GCSE indicators paint a mixed picture. The Attainment 8 score is 42.2, and Progress 8 is -0.17. That combination points to outcomes below the England picture overall, with progress slightly below the national benchmark once prior attainment is taken into account.

There is also a particular story around the English Baccalaureate. The average EBacc APS is 3.62 (England average: 4.08) and 6.1% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above across EBacc subjects. For families, the implication is not that academic ambition is absent, but that the EBacc route is not the dominant pathway for most students here. It is worth asking, early, how the school supports students who want a languages and humanities-heavy KS4 profile, and what the typical curriculum mix looks like for different starting points.

A final contextual point is ranking. Ranked 2,842nd in England and 38th in Leicester for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the school sits below England average overall. Parents comparing multiple Leicester secondaries may find the FindMySchool Comparison Tool useful here, because it puts these measures side by side without the noise of anecdote.

The school’s curriculum story is strongest when you look at what is actually on offer at Key Stage 4. Alongside the standard GCSE suite, there are options that speak to different strengths and motivations, including GCSE Film Studies, GCSE Statistics, BTEC Music, and BTEC Travel and Tourism, as well as routes like CNAT Child Development and CNAT Health and Social Care. For some students, that breadth is the difference between simply attending and properly engaging.

The approach to learning is also shaped by a clear transition model. There is explicit attention to identifying gaps when students arrive in Year 7, including targeted support for reading where needed. In a city school with a wide range of starting points, that kind of early diagnostic work matters, because it determines whether Year 7 is a reset or a repeat.

Fullhurst is an 11 to 16 school, so the “next step” conversation begins earlier than it does in a school with a sixth form. Families should expect Year 10 and Year 11 to include a sharper focus on post-16 choices, whether that is sixth form, college, apprenticeships, or training routes. The school highlights careers education across year groups, including encounters that broaden horizons beyond the immediate neighbourhood.

There is also an enrichment strand that supports readiness for life after Year 11. The Fullhurst Pledge, aimed at Key Stage 3 students, is framed around building experience, identity, community involvement, and exposure to arts and careers activities. It is a way of making “next steps” feel normal from Year 7 onwards, not a last-minute scramble in Year 11.

Routes and criteria

Admissions run through Leicester City Council, and Fullhurst follows the city’s coordinated procedures. In the most recent demand snapshot, there were 322 applications for 238 offers, which is about 1.35 applications per place. It is enough pressure to make the order of preferences and the detail of oversubscription rules matter, even if it is not the extreme competition seen at the most oversubscribed city schools.

Timeline and practicalities

Leicester’s usual pattern is that applications open in early September, close in late October, and offers are released in early March. Because annual demand can shift quickly, it is sensible to take a disciplined approach to shortlisting: use the FindMySchoolMap Search to sense-check travel time and your likely admission route, then keep alternatives realistic rather than aspirational-only.

The school also signals that visits can be arranged, which is particularly valuable for a two-campus model. Families often want to understand what changes at the Year 9 move, and how consistent expectations are across both sites.

Pastoral care is framed around both values and structures. The school highlights support for students’ wellbeing and the importance of students knowing who to go to when they need help. For parents, the key question is consistency: whether the routines and consequences feel predictable day to day, and whether students who struggle with behaviour regulation are supported without disrupting learning for others.

There is also an inclusion strand worth understanding properly. Fullhurst has a Designated Specialist Provision (DSP) and a wider SEND offer, alongside the mainstream school. In a large setting, that can be a strength when it is well integrated, because it allows students to access the full breadth of school life with appropriate adjustments rather than being siloed.

Sport

The school’s extra-curricular offer starts early in the day, with a free breakfast welcome from 8am until 8.25am. After that, sport looks like a major pillar. Students have the chance to compete or join participation clubs, with activities including basketball, football, netball, badminton, rugby, cricket and athletics, shifting termly to match fixtures.

Facilities back this up. The school advertises upgraded outdoor pitch provision including 3G all-weather artificial grass pitches, plus a large indoor sports hall. For many families, that is not just about sport, but about energy and belonging: students who commit to teams often find school feels simpler, because they have a reason to be there beyond lessons.

Creative and cultural life

Creative arts are not an afterthought. The school describes opportunities across dance, music and drama, including an annual production (with The Addams Family listed), alongside the option of peripatetic music tuition in small groups or one-to-one. That matters for students who learn best by doing, and for those who need a space where confidence can grow in public, not just on paper.

The Fullhurst Pledge adds a structured set of experiences in Key Stage 3: trips linked to “Experience” and opportunities linked to arts and careers. It includes a London trip in Year 7, an outdoor-focused visit to Monyash in the Peak District in Year 8, and a Year 9 visit to Hunstanton, with the Sea Life Centre included as a careers and nature link. For a city school, these are the kinds of details that change what school feels like year to year.

Enrichment and leadership

Duke of Edinburgh is a clear pathway here: the school offers Bronze in Year 9 with progression to Silver in Year 10. There are also signals of wider student voice and community engagement, including student-led Culture Day and a student-run online radio station, Fullpower, presented as part of the school’s wider community identity. Add in the school allotment and outdoor projects, and you get a picture of enrichment that is meant to be routine, not reserved for a small group.

The school day

The school day runs from 8.30am to 3.05pm, with staggered break and lunch times by year group. For families who need an early start, the school also offers free breakfast before registration, ending at 8.25am.

Transport & parking

With two sites (Imperial Campus and Fosse Campus), day-to-day logistics matter, especially once students start staying later for clubs or fixtures. Leicester railway station is the city’s main rail hub; families coming in by train typically connect onwards by bus, lift-share, or car. As with most large secondaries, drop-off and pick-up can be busy, so it pays to plan a routine that does not rely on last-minute parking.

Admissions pressure: The school is oversubscribed, and 322 applications for 238 offers shows there is more demand than supply. Families should keep preferences realistic and understand what is likely to matter most in the oversubscription rules.

A two-campus transition: Moving from Fosse Campus to Imperial Campus for Years 9 to 11 is a significant shift in a young person’s school life. Many students will handle it well, but it is worth asking how the school prepares students for that move and how it supports those who find change unsettling.

Consistency of routines: The school has clear expectations, but consistency is the point that makes any behaviour system work in a large setting. Parents of children who are easily distracted should ask how routines are reinforced day to day and what support is in place when a student struggles to regulate behaviour.

The EBacc profile: The school’s EBacc measures indicate this is not an EBacc-heavy school for most students. If your child has a strong academic tilt towards languages and humanities, ask early how the school supports that pathway, what subject take-up looks like, and how the strongest candidates are stretched.

Fullhurst Community College is a large, values-led 11 to 16 in Leicester, built to serve its community at scale. The two-campus model is a defining feature: it offers a more contained start for the youngest students, then a move into the main secondary setting for the exam years. Results indicators are below England average overall, but the curriculum offer at Key Stage 4 and the structured enrichment programme give plenty of routes for students who engage well with practical learning and clear routines.

Best suited to families who want a mixed, inclusive community school with strong enrichment, a broad KS4 offer, and a defined transition journey, and who are ready to work with the school on consistency, focus, and the right pathway for their child.