Long Clawson Church of England Primary School Review 2026: Small village primary with clear values and mixed-age classes

The available performance picture is unusual, but not unhelpful. For Key Stage 2 in 2024, the school published a comparative report that withholds the percentage achieving the expected standard due to a cohort of fewer than 10 pupils, which is a common privacy protection in small schools.

What is still visible is attainment in the form of scaled scores. In 2024, the school’s average scaled scores were 107 in reading, 106 in grammar, punctuation and spelling, and 105 in mathematics. The same report lists national averages of 105, 105, and 104 respectively.

Mixed-age teaching is the defining operational feature. The school explains that pupils are organised into three classes, Reception and Year 1; Years 2 and 3; and Years 4, 5 and 6, with activities differentiated by age, need, and starting point.

That structure places a premium on careful curriculum sequencing. The most recent inspection describes a curriculum mapped out with care, including explicit consideration of how to meet pupils’ needs in mixed-age classes, so that key knowledge is revisited and built systematically rather than repeated loosely.

Early years practice is also described in concrete terms. The inspection includes examples of purposeful play that builds communication, fine motor control, and curiosity, which matters in a small setting where adults need to spot gaps quickly and respond without over-formalising learning too early.

As a Leicestershire primary, pupils typically transfer to secondary education at age 11 through the local authority’s coordinated admissions process. For families planning ahead, the practical step is to confirm catchment priorities and travel patterns for your address, as these can vary across rural areas and across county boundaries.

The school’s buddy culture and emphasis on personal development are relevant here. A small primary can be brilliant for confidence and belonging, but transition works best when pupils have had structured opportunities to mix across ages, take responsibility, and practise independence, all of which are highlighted in formal reporting.

Reception entry is managed through Leicestershire County Council, not directly through the school. The school publishes a planned admission number of 14 for each year group, and points families to the council’s application route for both normal entry and mid-year transfers.

Demand data in the current results indicates an oversubscribed picture for the recorded primary intake round, with 18 applications for 7 offers, which equates to 2.57 applications per place.

For September 2026 entry, the council’s parent portal states that the round opens on 1 September 2025, closes on 15 January 2026, and primary offer day is 16 April 2026.

When catchment is a deciding factor, it is worth using FindMySchool’s Map Search to measure your distance precisely and to sanity-check whether a move actually changes your priority group in the way you expect.

Pastoral culture is described as a strength, with pupils saying they feel happy and safe, and older pupils acting as buddies for younger ones around school.

Safeguarding leadership is clearly signposted on the staffing page, with the executive head listed as the Designated Safeguarding Lead, and senior staff named as deputy safeguarding leads.

The school’s values framework also plays a practical role in wellbeing. When children are repeatedly taught to connect choices to shared values such as kindness and honesty, it can reduce low-level conflict and help staff intervene consistently, especially in mixed-age classes where maturity varies widely.

Music is a genuine pillar. The school describes an active choir that takes part in community events such as the Melton Mowbray Christmas lights switch-on, and it references group music tuition through the county music service, including Indian drumming, guitar, brass, and ukulele. It also lists peripatetic violin and cello teaching.

Drama and performance are also embedded rather than occasional. The annual school production at the village hall is positioned as a whole-school opportunity to sing and perform, which matters in a small school because it gives many pupils a turn on stage, not just a select few.

Sport is framed as both participation and competition. The school lists after-school clubs such as netball, football, running, and basketball, plus involvement in inter-school fixtures including rugby, athletics, cross-country and tournaments, with specific historic successes noted for cross-country, netball, and small-school football.

This is a state school with no tuition fees.

The school day is published as 8.45am to 3.15pm, with pupils admitted from 8.40am, and a weekly total of 32.5 hours.

Wraparound care is available. Breakfast club runs from 7.50am, and after-school club runs to 5.30pm, with published session prices from Autumn 2025.

The school sits in the village of Long Clawson, near Melton Mowbray. In rural areas, school travel often depends on family driving patterns and local bus provision, so it is sensible to test the journey at typical drop-off times before committing.

• Small cohorts, limited headline percentages. With fewer than 10 pupils in the KS2 cohort in 2024, some percentage outcomes are withheld for privacy. You still get scaled scores, but the usual headline attainment percentages are not always available.

• Mixed-age classes are not for every child. Many pupils thrive with older role models and flexible grouping, but some children prefer the clarity of single-year classes. Ask how differentiation works for the specific year mix your child would join.

• Faith character is real. This is a voluntary controlled Church of England school in the Diocese of Leicester, and Christian values are explicit. Families should be comfortable with that ethos as part of daily life.

This is a compact, values-led village primary where mixed-age teaching is central, not a compromise. The evidence points to a settled culture, strong personal development, and a curriculum planned carefully for small classes, with scaled-score outcomes in 2024 that sit above the national average in reading, GPS, and maths.

Who it suits: families who want a small school with clear expectations, community traditions, and a Church of England ethos, and whose child is likely to benefit from learning alongside older and younger pupils. The main challenge is that, with a small planned intake, securing a place can be competitive in some years.