St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, North Kilworth Review 2026: High-performing village school with strong wraparound care

Small schools can sometimes feel constrained by their size. Here, the opposite is true. With a planned Reception intake of 15 and a whole-school roll around the 100 mark, staff can keep a close eye on learning, relationships, and confidence, while still offering the facilities and breadth you would normally associate with a larger primary.

Academic outcomes are a clear strength. In 2024, 80% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, well above the England average of 62%, and a third achieved the higher standard (England average 8%).

Competition for Reception places is real. The most recent admissions data shows 63 applications for 15 offers, which is 4.2 applications per place.

Faith matters here, but in a practical, everyday way. The school’s church-school vision centres on helping children let their light shine, with Christian values such as friendship, kindness, honesty and respect used as shared language across the day.

The feel is that of a small, organised village school where routines carry a lot of weight. The published school day starts with gates opening at 8.50am and morning registration at 9.00am; the formal day finishes at 3.15pm. For many families, the bigger point is the structure wrapped around that, with breakfast club from 7.45am and after-school provision running up to 6.00pm Monday to Thursday, and 4.30pm on Fridays.

The age range is 3 to 11, and early years is woven into the main life of the school rather than operating as a separate, detached unit. Preschool children are based alongside Reception within the Early Years Foundation Stage unit, with a qualified Early Years teacher leading and a teaching assistant supporting. That integration can make the step into Reception feel familiar, particularly for children who benefit from consistent spaces and faces.

The Christian ethos is specific rather than vague. The vision statement and values are presented as a practical framework for behaviour, belonging, and personal development. Collective worship is described as a defined part of the school day, with opportunities for reflection and shared themes, and regular links with the local church are built into the school’s church-school identity.

A final cultural marker is responsibility, and how it is distributed. Pupils are organised into four house teams with captains; house points are used as recognition for work, behaviour, and living out school values. This matters in a small school because it provides a whole-school narrative that includes everyone, not just the oldest pupils.

The headline measures at the end of Key Stage 2 are strong. In 2024, 80% reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with the England average of 62%. The higher standard figure is even more striking: 33.33% achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics, compared with 8% across England.

Scaled scores add detail. Reading averaged 109 and mathematics 108, while grammar, punctuation and spelling averaged 111. In simple terms, that profile points to a cohort leaving Year 6 with secure core skills, particularly in writing mechanics and language accuracy, which tends to show up in confident extended writing and stronger access to the wider curriculum in secondary school.

Rankings reinforce the same picture. Ranked 831st in England and 1st in the Lutterworth area for primary outcomes, this places the school well above England average (top 10%). These are proprietary FindMySchool rankings based on official data, designed for like-for-like comparison across schools.

One useful implication for parents is about consistency of challenge. With 56.67% achieving high scores across reading, maths and GPS, and 60% achieving high scores in reading, the stronger pupils appear to be stretched, not simply comfortably above the expected threshold. In practice, this can translate into a classroom culture where “doing well” means depth and accuracy, not just finishing first.

The school’s published curriculum detail is uneven across the website, but several concrete indicators stand out.

First, there is clear intent around a broad curriculum. The school explicitly offers Latin as a foreign language, which is still unusual in many primary settings and often signals a preference for structured language learning and explicit grammar.

Second, learning is deliberately reinforced through shared themes across the trust. The most recent inspection report references curriculum themed days across the local trust cluster, including a shared Viking day linked to history. Done well, this kind of approach can strengthen knowledge by giving pupils repeated encounters with the same content, and it can widen peer networks in small schools by creating shared projects beyond a single class.

Third, the school’s own history page describes specialist spaces that support practical teaching. Alongside the classrooms and early years provision, it cites a well-stocked library, an art room and a sports hall. These are the kinds of spaces that allow teaching to remain practical and varied, especially in a small school where timetabling can otherwise restrict specialist activity.

In early years, the offer is clearly articulated: a teacher-led, play-based curriculum within the Early Years Foundation Stage unit, with preschool and Reception operating side by side. For families deciding at age three, this matters because it signals qualified teaching expertise at the point children are laying foundations in language, early number, and self-regulation.

For a village primary, transition is as much about confidence and readiness as it is about raw attainment. The published outcomes suggest pupils leave Year 6 with strong core knowledge, which generally supports smoother entry into Key Stage 3, particularly in English, maths and science, where secondary teaching moves quickly and assumes secure basics.

What the school does not publish, at least in a way that can be verified consistently, is a named list of the most common destination secondary schools. In Leicestershire, secondary transfer is coordinated through the local authority, and patterns can shift based on family preference, transport, and place availability year to year. Parents who want precision should check the local authority’s admissions information and, if needed, discuss likely pathways directly with the school during a tour.

The wider point is that small-school pupils can experience a step change in scale at 11. The school mitigates this through emphasis on shared values, responsibility, and participation. House teams, pupil leadership roles, and whole-school routines can help pupils feel comfortable taking initiative, which often matters more on day one of secondary than any single SATs sub-score.

Reception admissions are coordinated by Leicestershire as part of the normal primary admissions timetable, while the school’s admissions authority is Learn Academies Trust. The planned admission number for Reception is 15, which is consistent with the school’s small cohort model.

Demand is high. The most recent admissions data provided shows 63 applications for 15 offers, which is 4.2 applications per place, and the school is recorded as oversubscribed. For parents, the practical implication is simple: it is sensible to list realistic alternatives alongside this preference, even if it is the first-choice school.

Key dates matter, particularly as the current date is 26 January 2026 and the main deadline for autumn 2026 entry has already passed. Leicestershire sets out an applications window from 1 September to 15 January, with national offer day on 16 April (or the next working day if 16 April falls on a non-working day). Late applications are processed, but are treated as late.

For mid-year admissions, the school states that applications are made via the trust admissions portal rather than through the local authority route. This is worth noting for families moving into the area, as processes can differ from neighbouring schools.

Preschool is available on-site for children aged 3+, but it does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still need to apply through the normal Reception admissions route.

If you are weighing whether you are realistically placed for a place, it is sensible to use FindMySchool’s Map Search to understand your likely position against historical allocation patterns, then validate that with the local authority’s current guidance before you commit to a housing decision.

Pastoral culture is presented through two reinforcing lenses: safeguarding structures and values-led community life.

On safeguarding, the school participates in Operation Encompass, which is designed to ensure schools receive timely notifications after police-attended domestic abuse incidents where children are involved, so appropriate support can be put in place. That matters because it shifts response from reactive to planned, and it tends to improve how quickly staff can provide calm, consistent support on the next school day.

On everyday relationships, the church-school inspection report describes a community where kindness and respect are routine expectations, and where disputes are settled quickly. It also highlights practical wellbeing signals, including attention to staff workload and the presence of communal lunches for colleagues, which often correlates with stability in the adult team pupils rely on.

The 11 March 2025 Ofsted inspection concluded the school had taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

Small schools can either limit opportunity or concentrate it. Here, the evidence points towards deliberate effort to keep enrichment active and whole-school, using the site and the village context as an advantage.

Outdoor learning is a defining feature. The school describes a dedicated nature and Forest School area, alongside a large sports field and multiple play surfaces including an adventure playground and an astro-turf area. That infrastructure supports practical learning across science, geography, and personal development, and it allows pupils who learn best through movement and hands-on experience to have space to succeed.

Sport and activity appear intentionally varied. The school’s PE and sport documentation references a lunchtime Kwik Cricket club for older pupils and a Thursday activity club where options changed regularly, including multi-sports, netball, rounders, tennis, dance and gardening. The detail matters because it signals that clubs are not treated as a token offer, but as a rotating programme that encourages broad participation.

Community service is also visible. The church-school inspection report references pupils taking part in local initiatives such as litter picking and contributing to a church-based foodbank. For parents, the practical implication is that “values education” is connected to actions children can understand, not just assemblies and posters.

Finally, the house system provides everyday motivation. Points are awarded for excellent work, living out the school values, and positive behaviour, with termly recognition. In a small school, this kind of structure can create momentum across classes, not just within them.

The school day runs 8.50am to 3.15pm, with gates opening at 8.50am and registration at 9.00am. Breakfast club runs from 7.45am, and after-school provision runs up to 6.00pm Monday to Thursday and 4.30pm on Fridays.

Wraparound pricing is published for school-age pupils: breakfast club is £5.50 per session, after-school session 1 is £5.00, and after-school session 2 is £6.00, with bookings made in advance. Preschool timings differ, and the school states that breakfast and after-school club care is not currently available to preschool children.

For travel, families typically rely on village driving and local bus links. The LC10 service connects North Kilworth with Market Harborough and Lutterworth via Centrebus, which may suit older pupils and families looking for flexibility around clubs and wraparound hours.

• Places are limited. With 63 applications for 15 offers in the most recent admissions data, competition is a defining feature. Families should plan a realistic set of preferences, not a single-school strategy.

• Preschool does not equal Reception entry. On-site preschool is a genuine advantage for continuity, but it does not secure a Reception place; the usual admissions route still applies.

• Preschool wraparound is not currently offered. Breakfast and after-school club provision is published for school-age children, but the school states it cannot yet offer this for preschool children, which can be a deciding factor for working families.

• Leadership and trust structures can affect communication. The most recent inspection report references a period of leadership restructuring and mixed parent sentiment. For some families this is a non-issue; others will want to ask directly how day-to-day decisions are communicated.

For families who want a small, values-driven Church of England primary with unusually strong Key Stage 2 outcomes, this is an appealing option. Results suggest both secure foundations for most pupils and meaningful stretch for higher attainers, while the wraparound offer is clear and extensive for school-age children.

Best suited to families who value a close-knit school culture, strong academic standards, and structured routines, and who can engage early with admissions given the tight number of Reception places.