Across from the University of Leicester, on St Mary’s Road in Stoneygate, St Crispin’s does something quietly unusual in a city school market: it stays small. The published capacity is 131, and that scale shapes everything from daily routines to how visible each child can be in the mix.
This is an independent all-through school for boys and girls aged 2 to 16 in Leicester, Leicestershire, with education running from early years through to GCSEs. The most recent ISI inspection judged pupils’ academic and other achievements as sound and their personal development as good.
For families, the headline is fit. This is not a sprawling campus with a sixth form on the horizon; it is a compact, age-spanning school where continuity and personal attention are meant to be the main advantages.
Between Victoria Park and Clarendon Park, the school’s setting in Stoneygate points to what it is: a small, central Leicester school designed to feel manageable day to day, rather than expansive. You see the same faces across the years, and older students are part of the daily fabric rather than a distant tier.
Founded in 1945 and merged with a nearby school in 1990, St Crispin’s has the feel of a long-running local institution that has adapted around its size rather than outgrowing it. The current proprietors acquired the school in 2015, and the headmaster is Mr Andrew Atkin. For parents, that owner-led structure can read two ways: quicker decisions and a strong sense of direction, but also a school where leadership personality matters.
The house system adds structure without overcomplicating things. Houses are DeMontfort, Wyggeston, Newton and White, with competitions running across academic and sporting life. In a school of this scale, houses are less about grand ceremony and more about giving children a team identity and a reason to contribute beyond their friendship group.
The school is non-faith, but it sits in a culturally diverse part of Leicester and expects pupils and students to be comfortable in a multi-faith society. For many families, that looks like everyday respect rather than a formal ethos: an environment where differences are normal and curiosity is encouraged.
For St Crispin’s, GCSEs are the main public checkpoint. There is no sixth form, so the question is not just how students perform at 16, but whether they leave with the confidence and options to choose the right next step.
Ranked 3,733rd in England and 49th in Leicester for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), performance sits below England average overall, within the lower 40% of schools in England on this measure. The proportion of top GCSE grades is modest: 9.93% of grades were at 9 to 7, including 4.26% at 9 to 8.
The most helpful way to read this is with context about scale. With a published capacity of 131 across ages 2 to 16, year groups are unlikely to be large, and results can swing more from cohort to cohort than they do in a big secondary. Families comparing options locally can use the FindMySchool Leicester hub comparison view to line up GCSE outcomes side by side, then focus visits on the schools whose pace and support match their child.
England ranks and key metrics (where available)
GCSE 9–7
9.93%
% of students achieving grades 9-7
A school that runs from nursery to GCSE has to solve a practical puzzle: how to keep early years playful and development-led, while building the habits that make Year 10 and Year 11 workable. St Crispin’s leans into routine and explicit skill-building as the bridge.
In the early years, specialist music and physical education teachers contribute to the Foundation Stage curriculum. That matters because it signals specialist teaching earlier than many small schools manage, and it can suit children who respond to learning that is active and varied rather than mostly desk-based.
Reading is treated as a core tool, not a once-a-day subject. Younger pupils build phonics towards the Year 1 screening check, then move into broader reading that includes class texts such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Graveyard Book. The point is not the titles themselves; it is that reading is positioned as something pupils do with confidence and expression, not just quietly and privately.
By Key Stage 3, the curriculum is described as spiral in the core subjects, returning to key ideas and extending them over time. At Key Stage 4, students usually take GCSEs in English language, English literature, mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics and French, with optional choices including history, geography, art, business, computer science and physical education. For families, that combination gives a fairly traditional academic spine with a handful of practical and creative routes around it.
The school also offers tuition in less typical subjects such as Japanese and statistics. In a small school, that sort of flexibility is often a clue to how leadership thinks: less about a fixed menu, more about responding to the cohort in front of them.
Internal assessment is formalised earlier than in some settings. From Year 3, pupils sit more formal school exams at two points each academic year. The aim is to normalise exams without making them the whole story.
The main teaching challenge flagged by external review is consistency: feedback is not always regular or informative across subjects, and more able pupils are not always stretched with tasks that broaden and extend learning. For parents of high-attaining children, that is the question to test on a tour: not whether the school is warm and supportive, but whether it reliably turns that support into academic stretch.
Because the school ends at Year 11, transition planning matters more than it does in an all-through with a sixth form attached. Students need a clear route to the post-16 course that suits them, and families need a plan that is practical for travel and daily schedule.
Students are successful in gaining entry to further education establishments of choice to study A levels, vocational courses or apprenticeships, supported by guidance from senior management. The implication for families is straightforward: you are choosing St Crispin’s for the 2 to 16 journey, while keeping one eye on what 16 to 18 looks like elsewhere.
At the younger end, the all-through structure also has a quieter advantage. Pupils moving from Year 6 to Year 7 stay in the same school community, which can ease the jump for children who find transitions draining, even if they are academically ready.
The admissions process is direct and practical, reflecting the school’s independent status and small scale. The starting point is an admissions form, then an advance payment for the first month of fees to confirm a place.
Entry is non-selective in the usual sense of grammar-style testing, but there are clear routes for scholarships. Scholarships are offered at Years 7 to 10, with awards based on performance in entrance examinations and evidence from school reports. Sports scholarship candidates are expected to show strong ability and commitment, with written reports from current teachers or coaches and a practical assessment.
Bursarial assistance is also available, usually for children joining in Year 7 and above, and bursaries would not normally be awarded at a level greater than 30% of the full fee. For families who want independent education but need help to make it viable, the message is to raise the conversation early, before entrance assessments and before financial plans harden.
There are no published one-size-fits-all deadlines in the way local authority coordinated admissions work, so the practical question is availability. In a school with a published capacity of 131, waiting lists and mid-year movement can matter. It is worth asking not only whether there is a place in the year group, but how the school supports induction, especially if a child is moving from a larger setting.
The pastoral picture is built around two ideas: accessibility and everyday accountability. Students can report worries remotely via the pupil portal, and the safeguarding team can respond without relying on a child having the confidence to raise something face to face.
Support also shows up in the structure of the day. Senior students have daily prep sessions after school, and younger pupils can complete homework under supervision if they stay later. That can reduce friction at home, especially in families juggling work and multiple children.
The school identifies and supports pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, including specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia and dyspraxia, with specialist help provided when appropriate. In a small school, that sort of support can be both more personal and more exposed: parents should ask who coordinates it, how progress is tracked, and how classroom teaching adapts rather than simply adding extra sessions.
The clearest sign of the school’s character outside lessons is that much of what it offers is designed to be inclusive rather than elite. Clubs are presented as part of the day, not as bolt-ons for a select few, and leadership roles are woven into routine.
There is a Senior School Council with monthly meetings, positioned as an inclusive student voice where all children can contribute. The Amnesty International club is another distinctive marker, inviting older students to debate human rights, fundraise, and run awareness campaigns.
Clubs listed include orchestra, school choir, drama, dodgeball, arts and crafts, chess (alongside games and puzzles), plus sport training options. The school also runs a science fair and a summer art exhibition, and students have taken part in a whole-school science project involving three-dimensional models such as DNA, a hydraulic hand and the solar system. For many children, those projects are where confidence is built: a concrete task, a public endpoint, and the satisfaction of making something that can be shared.
Sport has a daily rhythm in school life, with team training listed for netball, football, cross country and cricket. There are also inter-school fixtures, and pupils are encouraged to be active in ways that suit their age. For younger pupils, swimming lessons are part of the routine, which can be a real practical advantage for families who would otherwise be trying to fit lessons around evenings and weekends.
Trips add local colour. Students have taken part in Leicestershire debate competitions hosted at the University of Leicester and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College, and there is also a geography field trip to Preston Montford. The point is range: academic, outdoors, and local cultural experiences, rather than a single dominant pillar.
*Bursaries may be available for eligible families.
Basis: per term
St Crispin’s sits in Stoneygate, near the centre of Leicester and across from the University of Leicester. Leicester railway station is around a mile away. For drivers coming from outside the city, the school directs families via the M1 (Junction 21) and the A563 outer ring road.
The school day is long and structured. Gates open at 8.30am, with registration at 8.40am and lessons beginning at 9.00am. There is sport at midday, lunch at 1.00pm, and afternoon lessons from 1.30pm. Early collection for pupils in EYFS to Year 6 is at 3.30pm, with prep, clubs and later lessons running from 4.00pm. Afternoon lessons end at 5.00pm, with collection at 5.10pm.
Breakfast club runs from 8.00am and is free, and the school is open from 8.00am until 5.10pm. Families balancing work patterns with school logistics may also want to use FindMySchool’s map search to sanity-check the door-to-door commute to Stoneygate at peak times, especially if clubs extend the day.
Scale and breadth: With a published capacity of 131, the pay-off is personal visibility and a familiar community across ages. The trade-off is a smaller peer group and fewer “by sheer numbers” options for niche interests. Children who like being known can thrive; those who need a big social pool may feel constrained.
Academic stretch for the most able: Teaching is supported by specialist expertise, and pupils often build strong literacy, numeracy and confidence. The improvement priority is consistency of marking and reliable challenge, especially for more able pupils. If your child is already flying, ask how extension is built into everyday lessons, not just offered as extra work.
End point at 16: There is no sixth form, so every student will make a post-16 move. That can be positive for teenagers who want a fresh start and a wider sixth-form subject menu; it also means planning early for travel, course fit and the social transition.
Costs beyond tuition: Published fees are £2,400 per term for Years 1 to 2, £2,800 per term for Years 3 to 6, £3,200 per term for Years 7 to 10, and £3,600 per term for Year 11 (all excluding VAT). Bursarial support is available and is normally up to 30% of the full fee, and scholarships of £1,000 are available in academic and talent routes (including sport and art and design). Families should also budget for exam entry costs, uniform, trips and any extra lessons such as music.
St Crispin’s is a deliberately small independent all-through in Stoneygate, built around routine, accessibility and close adult support. It suits families who value continuity from early years to GCSE, want a longer school day that includes prep and clubs, and prefer a setting where their child will be known well.
The main decision points are academic trajectory and the post-16 plan. If your child needs consistent challenge at the top end, or if you want a seamless sixth form route, you will need to probe carefully. For the right child, though, the combination of small-school attention and a structured day can be exactly what makes learning feel doable.
It can be a strong fit for families seeking a small, structured independent school with a long day and close pastoral support. The most recent ISI inspection judged pupils’ personal development as good, with academic and other achievements described as sound.
Fees are published by year group and are set per term (excluding VAT): £2,400 for Years 1 to 2, £2,800 for Years 3 to 6, £3,200 for Years 7 to 10, and £3,600 for Year 11. The school also notes additional costs such as uniform, trips and exam entry.
Yes. The school’s age range starts at 2, and early years runs within the all-through setting. For nursery fee details, use the school’s official fee information; eligible families may be able to use government-funded early education hours.
Applications are made directly to the school using its admissions form. Places are confirmed through the school’s process, including an advance payment to secure the place. Scholarship routes are available for certain entry points, and bursaries may be available for families who need financial support.
Students move on to further education at 16, choosing A levels, vocational routes or apprenticeships depending on fit. The school supports those decisions, but families should plan early because the transition will always involve a move to a different provider.
Get in touch with the school directly
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