Launde Primary School

Strong results sit alongside a clear drive to tighten consistency. In the current 2024-25 / 2025 dataset, Launde Primary School's Key Stage 2 picture is exceptionally high, with 90% of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined. This is a school where core learning clearly lands, with average scaled scores of 110 across reading, maths and grammar, punctuation and spelling.

It is also a school working through an improvement journey. The latest inspection judged the school as Requires Improvement overall, with Behaviour and attitudes and Personal development both graded Good. The headline message is not about weak behaviour or an unsafe culture, it is about curriculum coherence and the precision of checks on what pupils know, especially outside the strongest subjects and in early years.

For families, the offer is straightforward. If you want a large, established primary in Oadby with a strong academic core, plenty of sports options, and wraparound care that runs to 5.45pm, it has a lot going for it. If you want a school already operating at consistently high quality across every subject and phase, you will want to probe carefully at open events and in conversations with leaders about what has changed since late 2023.

Pupils come across as settled and self-controlled. The inspection evidence describes pupils as responsible, kind and considerate, with positive behaviour supported by clear expectations and routines. Learning time is protected, and pupils understand right and wrong, which matters in a larger primary where consistency can otherwise slip between year groups.

There is also a noticeable emphasis on pupil voice and responsibility. Pupils are encouraged to share views about what matters to them and how to improve the school, and they see those views as taken seriously. That kind of civic culture tends to show up in everyday moments, how pupils talk to adults, how they manage disagreement, and how confidently they take on small leadership roles.

Leadership has changed recently, which is often the inflection point for a school’s next phase. The current headteacher is Mrs Shelley Meer, who states she joined the school in August 2022 as deputy, held acting headship from December 2023, and was appointed head in June 2024. Families usually feel the practical impact of this through tightened systems, clearer communication, and sharper expectations around teaching routines and curriculum sequencing.

A final contextual note for parents: Launde is part of a trust structure, and the school’s improvement actions are described as being reviewed and supported at trust level, with governance oversight. That can be an advantage when it brings shared expertise and capacity, but it also means families should ask how decisions are made, what is set centrally, and what remains school-led.

Start with the headline: key stage 2 outcomes in the current 2024-25 / 2025 dataset are extremely strong.

• Expected standard (reading, writing and maths combined): 90%.

• Higher standard (combined): 20%.

• Average scaled scores: Reading 108, Maths 109, Grammar, punctuation and spelling 110.

Those figures describe a school where a large majority secure the basics and a substantial proportion reach greater depth. For many children, that translates to confident foundational literacy and number fluency by the end of Year 6, which tends to make the transition to secondary more secure.

Rankings reinforce the same story. Launde Primary School is ranked 475th in England for primary academic outcomes and 4,569th overall, with a current local ranking of 1st in Leicestershire (FindMySchool ranking based on official data).

The subject breakdown also matters. In the current dataset, 90% reached the expected standard in reading and maths, with 90% meeting the expected standard in science. Higher-standard outcomes are also strong in reading, maths and grammar, punctuation and spelling. These are high, confident numbers, and they align with inspection evidence that reading and mathematics are the school's strongest areas.

For parents comparing options locally, this is where FindMySchool’s local hub and comparison tools are genuinely useful: it is one thing to see “high results”, another to compare the exact proportions reaching expected and higher standards across nearby schools, side by side, using the same measures.

The school’s published curriculum intent points to structured teaching sequences and a strong focus on how pupils build knowledge over time. In maths, Launde uses Power Maths with a mastery approach, including a concrete, pictorial, abstract progression and an emphasis on reasoning and problem-solving. Reading is positioned as daily whole-class teaching with explicit work on fluency, vocabulary, inference and retrieval. Writing is described as a staged process from exploration through to publishing, aiming to build stamina and control across different genres.

This structured approach helps explain the high outcomes in reading and maths. Where the learning architecture is tight, children tend to accumulate small gains that add up by Year 6. The inspection evidence supports this, describing strong outcomes in reading and mathematics by the time pupils leave.

The improvement challenge is consistency across the wider curriculum and the precision of assessment. The inspection evidence highlights that in some subjects, the curriculum is not organised or delivered with enough clarity, and the checks used to identify what pupils know and remember are not consistently accurate. The practical implication is that some pupils may complete activities without building the intended knowledge, and misconceptions may not be picked up quickly enough.

Early years is an important part of that picture. Relationships and routines are described as secure, and there are plans to strengthen the outdoor area. However, the curriculum detail in early years is identified as not being developed enough to support children, particularly where there are gaps in early development, with communication and language not prioritised as strongly as it should be. For Reception families, that is a key question for 2026 entry: what has changed since 2023, how is language development tracked, and what does support look like for children who arrive needing extra help with speech and vocabulary?

SEND support is another area to examine carefully. The inspection evidence indicates that pupils with special educational needs and disabilities do not always receive the right support. Families with a child on SEN Support, or those seeking an EHCP placement, should ask specific questions about adaptations in class, staff training, and how leaders check that interventions are working.

As a primary in Oadby, many pupils will move on to local secondary provision in and around Leicester and Leicestershire, with choices shaped by each family's address and the admissions criteria for secondary schools. The best indicator at primary level is not a single named destination list, but whether pupils leave as confident readers, writers, and mathematicians, and whether they have the organisational habits to handle a larger secondary timetable. On that front, the current attainment profile suggests many pupils are well prepared academically.

For families who want to understand likely secondary options, the most practical step is to map your address against secondary admissions arrangements and typical patterns of transfer locally. FindMySchool’s map search can help you sanity-check distance and location against the admissions rules that apply to your home address.

Reception entry can be competitive, and families should check the latest Leicestershire admissions arrangements and allocation information before relying on older applications-per-place figures. In plain terms, proximity and admissions criteria matter.

Applications are made through the local authority route rather than directly to the school. For autumn 2027 entry in Leicestershire, the verified closing date for primary applications is 15 January 2027, with National Offer Day on 16 April 2027. Families should treat 15 January as a hard deadline, since late applications are typically considered after on-time offers are made.

Launde also signposts its admissions route clearly, including guidance for those applying for autumn 2027 entry via the council's application process.

Open events are referenced for early years, including open afternoons for prospective Reception families, though specific dates can change year to year. In practice, primary open events typically cluster in the autumn term ahead of the January deadline. If you are planning for 2027 entry, check the school's calendar and early years pages regularly and book as soon as dates appear.

The wellbeing baseline looks secure. Pupils are described as happy and feeling safe, and safeguarding is reported as effective. The school also places emphasis on online safety, with pupils learning about risks and dangers, and the evidence points to work supporting mental health and wellbeing.

Behaviour and attitudes are graded Good, which in a large primary is often a proxy for calm corridors, predictable classroom routines, and a culture where pupils can focus. Personal development is also graded Good, which aligns with the focus on responsibilities, pupil voice, and participation beyond lessons.

Where pastoral questions remain sharpest is around SEND, not for intent, but in consistency of support. If your child needs sustained adaptations, ask how learning is scaffolded in class, how teachers are trained, and how leaders know that support is working for that child, not just on paper.

Clubs are a visible strength, especially for sport, and they are specific rather than generic. Recent examples include KS2 cricket, dance and gymnastics, football (including mixed football for Year 2 and football for Years 3 and 4, plus football for Years 5 and 6), badminton, basketball, multi-sports, and tennis. There are also non-sport offers that speak to academic confidence and fun, including Magical Maths for both KS1 and KS2, plus Tae Kwon Do across different year groups.

Trips and residentials add another layer of breadth. The school signposts a Year 6 residential to Skern and a Year 4 residential to Condover, which are the kinds of experiences that often build independence, teamwork, and confidence ahead of the transition to secondary school.

The best way to read this extracurricular picture is through the EEI lens. Example: sports clubs run across multiple days and key stages. Evidence: named clubs include cricket, badminton, basketball, tennis, dance and gymnastics, plus structured multi-sports. Implication: children who need an outlet beyond desk work, or who learn best with a physical dimension to their week, have regular opportunities to build skills, friendships, and confidence in a structured setting.

The school day is clearly structured. The grounds open at 8.30am, and the school day begins at 8.45am, with the main day ending at 3.15pm. Weekly teaching time is listed as 32.5 hours.

Wraparound care is provided through Launde Care, running 7.45am to 8.45am in the morning and offering after-school sessions from 3.15pm up to 5.45pm, with published session prices for 2025 to 2026. For families balancing work and school logistics, the existence of a clear, school-run wraparound offer is a practical advantage.

Transport details like nearest stations and parking arrangements are not consistently published in a single, parent-facing place. Most families will use local road access and bus links into Leicester from Oadby, but you should plan your route and timings using current travel information, especially at drop-off and pick-up pinch points.

• Requires Improvement judgement (2023). The latest inspection judged the school Requires Improvement overall, with strengths in behaviour and personal development, but a clear need to improve curriculum coherence and assessment precision. This matters if you want uniform quality across every subject and year group.

• Consistency beyond reading and maths. Reading and mathematics are described as strong, but some other subjects are not delivered consistently enough, and pupils’ misconceptions are not always addressed quickly. Ask what has changed in curriculum planning and teacher training since late 2023.

• SEND support requires scrutiny. The inspection evidence indicates pupils with SEND do not always get the right support. Families should ask for specific examples of adaptations, how staff check impact, and how early help works in Reception and KS1.

• Competition for places. Reception entry can make admissions stressful, so families should check the latest allocation information rather than rely on older demand figures. Plan early, attend open events, and submit your application well before the January deadline.

Launde Primary School combines exceptionally high key stage 2 outcomes with an active improvement agenda. The academic core is a clear strength, supported by structured curriculum intent and a settled climate where pupils can learn. The improvement questions are also real, particularly around consistency across subjects, early years curriculum detail, and SEND support.

Who it suits: families in and around Oadby who want a large, academically high-attaining primary with a strong sports menu and practical wraparound care, and who are comfortable engaging actively with the school on how improvements are being embedded across the curriculum.