Montrose School

A large, established primary in Aylestone, Montrose combines mainstream scale with a surprisingly distinctive outdoor story. The school’s grounds include a ravine area linked to the Great Central Way construction, which the school uses as a learning resource through its Montrose Ravine work.

Leadership is shared, with Mr A. Owens and Miss S. Jackson named as co-head teachers on the school’s website and official listings. The most recent inspection (01 October 2024) reported Good across all judgement areas, including early years. In the current 2025 dataset, 60% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, with 10% reaching the higher standard.

Ranking context matters, because it helps explain how the school compares when multiple measures are rolled together. Montrose School is ranked 10,081st in England for primary academic outcomes out of 14,978 ranked primary schools, and 94th in Leicester in the FindMySchool local results.

Montrose’s identity is built around values language that is repeated across school life. Pupils are expected to understand and use “RESPECT values”, which the latest inspection describes as part of how behaviour expectations are made concrete for children. Alongside that, the school’s published ethos and values emphasise honesty, respect, self-belief, openness to challenge, and generosity, plus a wider aim of helping children feel safe and learn how to make healthy choices.

The early years offer is not an add-on. Nursery and Reception are framed as a joined-up Foundation Stage journey, with a key person approach and a balance of adult-led and child-initiated learning. Montrose also explicitly builds in Forest School experiences in Reception, using the site and grounds as part of how younger children learn to regulate, explore, and talk about what they are doing.

A practical, family-facing tone runs through the information the school publishes. Details like opening times by phase, wraparound care options, and clear routes for nursery versus main school admissions suggest a school that knows many families are managing work patterns and childcare alongside learning priorities.

Montrose School's current 2025 Key Stage 2 profile shows 60% of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, with 10% reaching the higher standard. The current FindMySchool academic rank is 10,081st out of 14,978 ranked primary schools, with a local position of 94th in Leicester.

The component measures show a more uneven profile, which is useful for interpreting the overall picture. Reading expected standard is 70%, writing is 80%, maths is 70% and GPS is 70%. Science expected standard is 80%. Scaled scores are 105 in reading, 104 in maths, and 105 in GPS, and the combined total score across reading, GPS and maths is 314.

Ranking context matters, because it helps explain how the school compares when multiple measures are rolled together. Montrose School is ranked 10,081st in England for primary academic outcomes out of 14,978 ranked primary schools, and 94th in Leicester in the FindMySchool local results.

What this means in practice is that there are clear strengths in maths and GPS, plus a combined expected standard rate that is above England average, but the overall profile still leaves room for improvement when results are benchmarked in aggregate against other schools nationally. Families should read this as “solid outcomes with specific stronger strands”, rather than a uniformly high-performing profile.

The school’s curriculum messaging stresses breadth and sequencing, with published progression maps and subject-specific guidance to show what is taught and how knowledge builds across year groups. For parents, this is often a proxy for consistency, it signals that teachers are planning to a shared spine rather than reinventing content class by class.

English is described in more operational detail than many primary websites manage. Early reading is taught through the ALS phonics programme, and the school describes regular assessment, decodable book matching in earlier phases, and continued intervention where needed. As pupils move into Key Stage 2, Montrose describes a combination of shared reading using a “rich and challenging class text” plus daily whole-class guided sessions using Bug Club Comprehension, with reading levels benchmarked using PM at points through the year.

Maths positioning is similarly explicit, framed as a core skill set linked to reasoning and curiosity, and supported by named internal routines such as Maths Badges and Number Day, plus Times Table Rock Stars. This kind of clear structure tends to suit children who do well with routine and incremental skill-building, especially where families can reinforce the same habits at home.

Montrose is primary-only, so the main transition point is Year 6 to Year 7. The school sets expectations clearly: pupils move on to a range of secondary schools, and securing a place depends on each school’s admissions criteria, such as catchment or other priorities. Families are advised to attend secondary open evenings, which are typically held in the autumn term prior to transfer.

For children with additional needs, the school describes transition as an active process rather than a single handover. The school’s SEND information highlights transition afternoons, themed days where children move into the next year-group setting, and taster mornings and transition days linked to the Year 6 to secondary move.

Reception admissions are coordinated by Leicester. The previous dated timetable in this review has expired, so families should check the council's current admissions timetable and apply by the published deadline for their cohort year.

Demand data points to a school that is oversubscribed. There were 113 applications for 60 offers for the primary entry route, with 1.88. applications per place The ratio of first preferences to offers is 1.08, which suggests a meaningful core of families actively prioritising the school rather than listing it as a lower choice.

Nursery entry

Nursery admissions run differently. Montrose states that parents can apply for a nursery place directly to the school, and while applications can be made at any time, the school asks to receive forms by the end of February in the year a child is due to start, to be considered in the first round of acceptance letters. The school also sets out priorities for nursery places, including living within the priority area, siblings, and specific needs.

Montrose offers 26 nursery places in the morning and 26 in the afternoon, and describes 15-hour and 30-hour patterns within the Foundation Stage offer. (For nursery fee details, use the school’s official nursery admissions information, and check eligibility for government-funded hours.)

Pastoral support is framed as practical and joined-up. The SEND information describes a family support worker role, links to outside agencies where needed, and a weekly PSHE programme that includes emotional wellbeing, relationships, and healthy choices.

Behaviour expectations are described as clear and reinforced through adult role modelling and shared language. The most recent inspection report text supports a picture of positive relationships, pupils feeling safe, and staff providing sensitive support where pupils find behaviour expectations harder to meet.

For families, the key implication is that Montrose positions itself as an inclusive, routines-led school. Children who benefit from predictable expectations and calm adult consistency are likely to find this easier to settle into, especially in the early years and transition points.

Music is a standout pillar because it is described with unusual specificity. Key Stage 2 pupils take part in singing productions, and the school lists two choirs plus a string ensemble and wind group, described as free to attend. Instrumental tuition is offered from Year 3 upwards, with a published list that includes strings, piano, woodwind, brass, guitar, steel pans and drums, plus opportunities such as RockSteady for forming a band.

Outdoor learning is another defining feature, not just because the school has a field, but because it runs Forest School experiences and maintains the Montrose Ravine work as a structured learning resource. The ravine is described as developing from construction activity linked to the Great Central Way, with a lake and habitat features that support nature study.

Wraparound care is also concrete rather than generic. Montrose After School Club (MASC) is run by the school and offers two daily sessions from 3.15pm to 4.30pm and 4.30pm to 5.45pm, with the club based in a mobile classroom and designed to cover outdoor play, quieter reading space, and homework support where needed.

Published opening times are clear. Nursery runs a morning session 8.35am to 11.35am (Monday to Friday), with afternoon sessions for 30-hour places 11.20am to 3.05pm (Monday to Thursday). Reception to Year 6 runs 8.45am to 3.15pm.

For working families, wraparound care includes breakfast provision and the after-school club structure described above.

For travel, this is an Aylestone school on Wigston Lane, so most families will be thinking for walkability, cycling, and short car trips rather than long public-transport commutes. Parking and on-site access information is published for visitors, including where reception access sits relative to the car park.

• Oversubscription pressure. With 113 applications for 60 offers in the most recent cycle, competition is real. Families should plan on a realistic second preference, even if Montrose is the first choice.

Ranking context matters, because it helps explain how the school compares when multiple measures are rolled together. Montrose School is ranked 10,081st in England for primary academic outcomes out of 14,978 ranked primary schools, and 94th in Leicester in the FindMySchool local results.

• Nursery admissions are a separate process. Nursery is applied for directly, with timing expectations (end of February in the year of entry) that do not match the local authority’s Reception timetable.

Montrose suits families who want a large primary with clear routines, strong music opportunities, and a meaningful outdoor learning dimension through Forest School and the Montrose Ravine work. Academic outcomes look solid in the combined Key Stage 2 measure, and the school’s published approach to reading and structured intervention will appeal to parents who value clarity about how literacy is taught.

Best suited to families in Aylestone and nearby areas who want wraparound care, a well-specified early years offer, and a school where values language is used to make behaviour expectations understandable for children. The main limitation is admission competition, which means planning early and applying strategically matters.