The City of Leicester College Review 2026: Ambition for All in a Large, Diverse Community Secondary

Ambition here is framed as an entitlement, not a privilege. The City of Leicester College is a large 11 to 19 community secondary in Evington, serving a richly diverse part of Leicester and operating as a comprehensive intake with no tuition fees. Its stated motto, Ambition for All, sits alongside four Character Pillars, Intellectual, Moral, Community and Performance, which shape expectations around behaviour, effort and contribution.

Leadership continuity is clear. Ken Vernon is listed as Head Teacher on the school website and is referenced as having joined in March 2020.

For parents, the headline positioning is straightforward. GCSE outcomes sit in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). Ranked 2224th in England and 34th in Leicester for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), it performs as a broadly mid-pack school nationally while remaining a significant local option in a competitive city market. At sixth form, outcomes are below England average on the same methodology. Ranked 1902nd in England and 15th in Leicester for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), it is best understood as a sixth form with clear strengths for some students, rather than one that competes with the highest-attaining specialist providers.

The school’s own language places character education at the centre, with explicit attention to intellectual habits, moral reasoning, community contribution and performance culture. In practice, this tends to translate into a school day structured around routines, clear expectations and a strong emphasis on attendance and punctuality as the foundations for progress. The published school-day timings reinforce this sense of rhythm, with registration at 08:30 and the main day finishing at 15:10 for Years 7 to 11.

The community context matters. This is a high-capacity secondary, and its scale brings both opportunities and complexity. For many students, the breadth of peer group, clubs and subject pathways can be a genuine advantage, particularly where students want to find “their people” through sport, performing arts, reading communities, identity-based groups or enrichment. For some families, scale can feel less personal than smaller schools, which makes the strength of pastoral systems and consistent behaviour routines especially important when you visit or speak to the school.

The most recent formal inspection evidence available is tied to the predecessor school prior to academy conversion. The overall judgement from the graded inspection in November 2019 was Requires Improvement, with sixth form provision judged Good, and safeguarding recorded as effective.

A later remote monitoring letter (February 2021, published March 2021) indicates active work on curriculum sequencing, reading, and staff training, as well as leadership stability during a disruptive period for education nationally.

One important contextual note for parents is that the current academy URN is listed on Ofsted as “opened”, with the Ofsted page showing an academy conversion letter dated June 2023 rather than a full inspection report for the current entity. This is a common pattern following conversion; it does not mean the school is unaccountable, but it does mean that the last graded inspection headline is not recent, and families should weigh current evidence from the school’s published curriculum, policies, routines and performance data.

At GCSE, the data points paint a mixed but encouraging picture. An Attainment 8 score of 48.7 suggests outcomes around the middle of the distribution, and a Progress 8 score of +0.29 indicates students make above-average progress from their starting points, which is often the more meaningful metric for comprehensive schools serving varied prior attainment. EBacc outcomes are a relative weakness with an average EBacc APS of 4.03 against an England average of 4.08, and 5.1% achieving grades 5 or above in the EBacc measure.

Ranked 2224th in England and 34th in Leicester for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), performance aligns with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). For parents, the implication is that the school’s academic story is less about headline top-end attainment and more about whether its teaching and systems convert starting points into good progress across the ability range.

At A-level, the published grade distribution suggests outcomes below England averages. A* is 3.43% and A is 9.71%, meaning 13.14% at A*/A. The A* to B proportion is 35.14%, compared with an England average of 47.2%. Ranked 1902nd in England and 15th in Leicester for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), this is a sixth form where course choice, entry requirements and fit will matter a great deal. Students who thrive are likely those whose subjects align with their strengths and whose study habits suit a structured sixth form environment.

Parents comparing local options should use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool to view these outcomes alongside nearby secondaries and post-16 providers, particularly if you are balancing Progress 8 strength at 11 to 16 against a more mixed post-16 picture.

The school describes itself as a mainstream state school following the National Curriculum and sets out curriculum principles intended to create coherent learning across key stages. The detail that matters for families is what that looks like in daily classrooms: how curriculum sequencing is planned, how teachers check understanding, and how the school supports students who arrive with gaps in literacy, English as an additional language needs, or special educational needs.

Inspection evidence from 2019 flagged two enduring challenges that are common in large comprehensive schools, ensuring the Key Stage 3 curriculum has sufficient breadth across subjects, and ensuring teachers consistently adapt learning for students with SEND so they achieve as well as possible. The 2021 monitoring letter, while remote and time-limited by design, points to curriculum work that emphasised identifying key knowledge and strengthening teaching approaches, alongside a clear focus on reading support and access to books through digital provision.

A more recent school-published quality assurance review dated 05 November 2025 describes a strong emphasis on professional learning, literacy diagnostics, and consistent routines in tutor time, including reciprocal reading and culturally diverse texts. It also highlights the school’s focus on inclusive practice, adaptive teaching, and targeted support structures for disadvantaged students and students with additional needs.

For parents, the practical implication is that the school’s teaching model appears to be moving toward clarity and consistency, with literacy and curriculum sequencing used as levers for improvement. When visiting, it is worth asking how reading interventions are identified and delivered, how subject leaders ensure curriculum breadth at Key Stage 3, and how classroom adaptations for SEND are embedded beyond the strongest departments.

Where Students Go Next

The school has a sixth form, and it runs structured guidance for post-16 progression, including UCAS information and careers education. The post-16 application route is described as being managed through PS16, with a staged timeline across autumn and spring.

On elite university pathways, the available dataset shows small numbers. In the measurement period, there were 5 Oxbridge applications, 1 offer, and 1 acceptance, with all recorded applications in the Cambridge track. The key interpretation is scale, Oxbridge is an option for a small group rather than a defining route for the cohort. For students aiming for highly selective universities, that does not rule the school out, but it does mean that families should ask what academic enrichment, subject extension, and admissions support is available for the most competitive courses, including Medicine and high-demand STEM routes.

Destination percentages for university, apprenticeships, or employment are not available in the provided dataset, so the most helpful approach is to focus on the school’s stated careers infrastructure. The school references Gatsby Benchmarks as a planning framework for careers provision, which is a useful signpost for the breadth of employer engagement, encounters, and guidance students can expect.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Leicester City Council. For the 2026/27 Year 7 intake, the council publishes the timetable clearly: applications open Monday 1 September 2025, the on-time deadline is Friday 31 October 2025, offers are issued on Monday 2 March 2026, and appeals must be submitted by Monday 30 March 2026.

The school’s admissions policy confirms it remains within the coordinated local authority process and sets a Planned Admission Number of 240 for entry to each year group. It also sets out oversubscription criteria in priority order, including looked-after and previously looked-after children, exceptional medical or social need, sibling priority, catchment-area priority, staff children priority in defined circumstances, and then other applicants. Where a tie-break is needed within criteria, distance is measured by straight-line geographic information system.

For families, the implication is that priority is determined by a blend of status (for example looked-after children), sibling links, and catchment position, with distance used as a decisive mechanism when demand exceeds places. If you are moving into the area or relying on a catchment-based plan, use the Leicester City Council directory information and the FindMySchoolMap Search to sense-check how your address may sit relative to the school and local boundaries.

In-year admissions are also routed through the local authority, as confirmed in the policy, which is helpful for families arriving mid-year or seeking a managed move.

Sixth form admissions are handled through a separate process with a published timeline. The school states that applications are typically made November through January, with a 31 January deadline; interviews may occur February through March; acceptance communication follows in spring; and students confirm places by May, before an induction period in the summer term.

Entry requirements are course-specific, and the school’s published information indicates that vocational and academic routes sit alongside each other, with subject-level thresholds where relevant.

Pastoral support in a large secondary lives or dies on routines and consistency. The school presents a behaviour system built around its Character Pillars and a staged approach to rewards and sanctions. In practice, families should look for clarity on how students re-enter learning after sanctions, how restorative work is handled, and how staff consistency is monitored across a large workforce.

The earlier inspection evidence recognised students’ sense of safety and strong relationships with teachers, while also drawing attention to attendance challenges for disadvantaged pupils and students with SEND, alongside occasional bullying concerns.

More recent school-published material highlights mental health and wellbeing support, including structured routines and targeted interventions for examination cohorts, which is particularly relevant in a school serving a broad community profile.

For families with additional needs, the detail that matters is operational: how SEND information is communicated to staff, how classroom adjustments are standardised, and how the school manages transitions from primary to secondary. The school’s transition messaging emphasises liaison with Year 6 teachers and a community open evening for Year 6 families, which is a sensible foundation for easing anxiety and improving early engagement.

A large secondary should, at its best, offer breadth. Here, the published co-curricular programme is unusually explicit, with named activities, year groups, timings and locations. Examples include The City Herald Newspaper, TCOLC Pride, Literary Society, Lego League, Science Club, STEAM Club, Musical Theatre Club, Performing Arts Club, and Further Maths sessions for specific groups, alongside a wide sports menu including basketball, netball, cricket, NFL Flag Football and football.

The personal development page also signals provision beyond the obvious clubs list, including PRIDE club, anti-bullying and anti-discrimination ambassador roles, and a stated programme that includes robotics and a feminist book club as part of a broader enrichment menu.

The implication for parents is that students who might not see themselves as “sporty” still have credible routes into belonging and contribution. A newspaper club, a pride group, a literary society, and a Lego League can each become the anchor point that keeps a student connected to school life, particularly in Years 7 to 9 when identity and friendship groups are still forming.

Duke of Edinburgh is also listed, with the programme indicated as starting from March 2026 for Year 9 within the published schedule. That timing suggests a structured approach to participation and training, rather than a casual add-on. For students who benefit from challenge, teamwork and outdoor learning, this can be a meaningful counterbalance to the academic timetable.

The school publishes term dates for 2025/26, which is useful for planning childcare, travel, and post-16 commitments. The school day runs from 08:30 registration to a 15:10 finish for Years 7 to 11, with break and lunch timings varying slightly by year group.

For travel, most families will approach via local roads serving Evington, with bus links into Leicester making independent travel realistic for older students. As with any large secondary, it is sensible to ask about drop-off patterns, cycling storage, and late buses for after-school activities, particularly if your child is likely to join clubs that run to around 16:00 or 16:20.

• Inspection recency. The most recent graded inspection headline dates to November 2019, prior to academy conversion. The school has published evidence of improvement work since then, but families should look for current, observable consistency in lessons, behaviour routines, and attendance practice.

• EBacc profile. The EBacc measures are relatively weak. If your child is aiming for a strongly academic EBacc route with high language uptake, ask how languages are promoted, how option blocks are constructed, and how the school supports students to sustain the full EBacc suite.

• Large-school experience. Scale brings choice and breadth, but it can also make communication and consistency feel uneven for some families. Ask how tutor groups, heads of year, and safeguarding systems work in practice, and what the escalation route looks like when concerns arise.

• Sixth form fit matters. Post-16 outcomes are below England averages. If sixth form is part of your plan, scrutinise subject availability, entry requirements, independent study expectations, and the support model for UCAS and apprenticeships before you commit.

The City of Leicester College is a major community secondary in Leicester with a clear stated identity: ambitious, structured, and explicit about character, inclusion and personal development. Academic outcomes at 11 to 16 look strongest in progress terms, while post-16 outcomes are more mixed and likely to depend heavily on course fit and student study habits. Best suited to families who want a comprehensive school with breadth, a wide enrichment menu, and a values-led culture, and who are prepared to engage proactively with admissions and pastoral systems in a large setting.