Dixie Grammar School

Founded under the will of an Elizabethan Lord Mayor of London and reborn as an independent day school in 1987, The Dixie Grammar School carries a name that confuses as often as it impresses. Despite the word grammar, this is a fee-paying independent school, not a selective state grammar, and it teaches boys and girls together from a nursery taking very young children through to a sixth form preparing students for university at 18. Around 481 pupils and students attend across two sites in rural Leicestershire, with the senior school facing the market square in Market Bosworth and the junior school and nursery a short drive away at Temple Hall, Wellsborough. Entry to the senior school is academically selective by examination at 11, the curriculum is traditional and broad, and the ethos draws on a Christian foundation and five stated values: commitment, respect, resilience, courage and care. It is a small school with a long memory and a strong sense of place.

History sits heavily, and proudly, on this school. The Dixie traces records back to 1320 and was re-founded in 1601 under the will of Sir Wolstan Dixie, an Elizabethan merchant and Lord Mayor of London. The main building of the senior school dates from 1828 and faces the historic market square of Market Bosworth, a distinctive Georgian landmark in a town better known for the battlefield where Richard III fell in 1485. Samuel Johnson, the lexicographer and moralist, taught here in the mid-eighteenth century, and Thomas Hooker, the founder of Hartford, Connecticut and a figure sometimes called the father of American democracy, was once a pupil. For a school of fewer than 500, that is an unusual depth of lineage, and the school wears it openly.

The modern school is a more recent creation. The Dixie ceased to operate as a grammar school in 1969, and the building stood empty of pupils until the Leicestershire Independent Educational Trust reopened it in 1987 as a selective, co-educational independent day school for boys and girls of all backgrounds. The junior school and nursery followed and moved to Temple Hall in 2001. That dual identity, ancient foundation and modern independent school, shapes the feel of the place. It is small, family-scaled and rooted in its market town rather than glossy or corporate, and the leadership under Headmaster Richard Lynn keeps the emphasis on character as much as results.

The atmosphere is calm and orderly. Pupil conduct is consistently strong, and pastoral leaders place the wellbeing of pupils at the centre of daily life. The five values are not wall decoration: house points are awarded for showing resilience and courage, and the culture rewards effort and conduct as much as marks. The early years setting, where children begin in the Pippins Nursery at Temple Hall, is warm and language-rich, with practitioners focused on shared imagination, vocabulary and early reading. The overall effect is of a school that knows every child by name, which is precisely what many families come here for.

The Dixie selects at 11, and the academic record reflects a school that recruits able children and pushes them. At GCSE, roughly 15% of all grades were awarded at grade 9 or 8, the equivalent of the old A*, and around 34% reached grade 7 or above, the A and A* band. For a small cohort, that is a solid body of top grades, and it sits alongside a broad subject offer rather than a narrow exam diet.

In our proprietary FindMySchool rankings, built from official performance data, the senior school sits 610th in England for GCSE results and second among schools in its local Nuneaton area. That places it above the England average, within the top 25% of schools in England for GCSE attainment. It is a result that confirms what the entry test implies: this is a genuinely selective school whose pupils perform well at 16. Parents weighing options across the wider area can line the school up against its neighbours using the local hub comparison tool, which sets results side by side.

At A level the picture is more measured. Around 4% of entries were graded A*, with roughly 12% at A or above and about 29% at grade B or higher. The England averages for the same measures stand at about 24% for A* and A combined and 47% for grades A* to B, so the sixth form's headline top-grade share runs below the England benchmark even as individual students reach demanding destinations. In our FindMySchool A-level rankings, the sixth form places 1441st in England and third locally, a solid result in line with the middle 35% of schools in England. The gap between the strong GCSE standing and the more typical A-level standing is worth keeping in mind when judging the post-16 phase, and it is the single most useful thing for a prospective sixth-form family to understand.

There are no published Key Stage 2 results to report for the junior school, which is normal for an independent prep that is not measured by the state testing regime. Junior progress is best judged through the school's own assessment and the smooth feed into the senior school at 11, where most junior pupils continue.

The curriculum at The Dixie is carefully structured and sequenced, with detailed lesson design at each stage, and results across GCSE and A level show strong pupil attainment across a diverse subject range. Teachers are knowledgeable and the classroom culture is ambitious: children are expected to think hard, and academic aspiration is encouraged rather than left to chance. Small classes are the practical advantage, with teachers able to stretch the most able and catch a struggling child early.

The early years provision lays the groundwork. Nursery practitioners develop communication, language and early reading, working deliberately on vocabulary and shared imaginative play so children are ready for Year 1. The curriculum is balanced and linked explicitly to the school's aims and values, with content resourced appropriately at each stage. Higher up the school, support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities and for those learning English as an additional language is handled well, so the broad curriculum stays genuinely accessible. The result is a teaching model that suits a child who responds to structure, high expectations and individual attention in small classes rather than the anonymity of a large year group.

The exit points at The Dixie are the end of Year 6, the end of Year 11 and the end of Year 13. Most junior pupils progress into the senior school at 11, and most Year 11 students continue into the sixth form, subject to meeting subject entry requirements, with the school recruiting a smaller number of external students at 16. Progression is therefore mostly internal, which gives the sixth form a settled, familiar feel rather than the churn of a large open-access college.

The sixth form sends the large majority of its leavers to university. In the 2023/24 leaving cohort of 34 students, 82% progressed to higher education, with a further 3% moving into further education, 3% into apprenticeships and 6% into employment. Destinations in recent years have included Cambridge for veterinary science, the Royal Veterinary College in London, and courses in medicine, law, mathematics and business, alongside Russell Group universities such as Warwick. The careers and guidance programme is effective: the oldest students receive independent advice on subject choices, work experience, further education and apprenticeships, which is why the destinations read as deliberate rather than accidental.

Oxbridge entry is modest but real. From a recent cohort, five students applied to Oxford or Cambridge and one secured a place at Cambridge. The single offer came from Cambridge; the Oxford applications that year did not convert into offers. For a sixth form of this size, a Cambridge place in a given year is a creditable outcome, and the breadth of competitive destinations, from veterinary medicine to economics and engineering routes, shows the guidance is doing its job across more than just the headline names.

The sixth form is the natural continuation of the senior school, and most students arrive from the school's own Year 11. Entry depends on GCSE results, with the school setting subject-specific requirements for individual A-level courses, so progression is not automatic but is the expected route for students who meet the bar. A smaller number of external students join at 16, attracted by the small classes and personal attention.

Post-16 life leans on responsibility and enrichment. Sixth-formers act as mentors to younger pupils, take part in enterprise programmes and run community and charity projects, and many use the sixth form to complete the Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award. That blend of academic study, leadership and service is the defining character of the phase. Prospective families should weigh the genuine pastoral and leadership strengths against the more typical top-grade profile at A level, and look specifically at outcomes in their child's intended subjects, where a small department's record matters more than the school-wide average.

The Dixie is a selective independent school, and entry to the senior school is by examination. The principal entry point is at 11 for Year 7, with families also joining at nursery, Reception, Year 9 and the sixth form. The 11 plus assessment covers English, mathematics and reasoning: the English paper tests comprehension and writing, the mathematics paper tests problem solving and arithmetic, and the reasoning element covers verbal and non-verbal logic. Candidates then attend a short interview with the Headmaster and usually a taster day in the prospective year group, so the process judges the whole child rather than a single test score. The next senior entrance examination is scheduled for Saturday 31 January 2026.

To register, families complete an online form and pay a non-refundable registration fee of £150. The application deadline for September 2026 entry falls in early December 2025, so parents planning ahead should treat the autumn term before entry as the working window. Tours run on weekdays by arrangement with the admissions team throughout the year, and the school describes itself as welcoming pupils into all year groups rather than only the standard entry points.

Younger entry is more straightforward. The Pippins Nursery at Temple Hall takes children from a very young age, and progression into Reception and through the junior school is the natural route for families who start early. Because the senior school is academically selective, the practical question for most families is preparation for the 11 plus rather than catchment or distance. There is no proximity-based admission and no published last distance offered, which is typical of an independent day school drawing pupils from across south-west Leicestershire and north Warwickshire.

Pastoral care is a genuine strength here, and it shows in the calm tone of the school. Leaders and governors work together to prioritise the wellbeing of pupils, and the school maintains a safe, supportive environment in which children are confident to speak up. The latest ISI routine inspection, in March 2025, found that all standards were met, with safeguarding effective: staff are well trained, policies are kept current, concerns are reported and acted on promptly, and safer recruitment procedures are firmly in place.

The support structure is comprehensive for a school of this size. There is counselling provision for a range of pupils, including the youngest children, and sixth-formers act as mentors for those lower down the school. First aid cover is thorough, and early years staff are trained in paediatric first aid. Attendance is monitored closely, with absence followed up quickly because leaders understand how closely attendance and wellbeing are linked. According to the school, a house system gives every child a pastoral home across the year groups, and the values of respect and care are woven into how the school handles behaviour and relationships day to day. Pupils also develop a grounded understanding of democracy, the rule of law and mutual respect, alongside practical economic education covering bank accounts, payslips and income tax.

For a small school, the co-curricular programme is unusually characterful, and it leans into the unexpected rather than the predictable. Few schools can offer practical beekeeping as a lunchtime club, but The Dixie does, alongside a drama club that stages mini Shakespeare performances, a philosophy club for budding thinkers, and the Dixie Apprentice, an enterprise challenge that puts students in charge of running a project. These are not generic listings; they are the texture of a school that uses its size to do distinctive things and give individual children a turn in the spotlight.

Outdoor and adventurous education is a clear pillar. The Duke of Edinburgh's Award runs through the school, with Bronze offered to all students in Year 10, Silver in Year 11 and Gold in the sixth form, so a committed student can complete the full progression by the time they leave. World Challenge expeditions take older students further afield, building the resilience and independence the school explicitly values. The result is an activities offer that develops grit and self-reliance, not just a tally of badges, and it dovetails neatly with the school's stated commitment to courage and resilience.

Service and citizenship form another pillar. Many students volunteer in the local community, sixth-formers support vulnerable groups and younger pupils, and charity fundraising is a regular feature of school life. Music, drama and sport round out the picture: performance is part of school life from the nursery upwards, and the senior school maintains its own sports ground and pavilion for fixtures and training. The scale is intimate, which means individual children get opportunities to lead, perform and represent the school that they might wait years for in a larger institution. That is the trade-off, and for many families it is the point: a child here is a participant, not a spectator.

For the 2026-27 academic year, termly fees, inclusive of VAT, are £4,900 for Reception to Year 2, £5,560 for Years 3 to 5, and £6,665 from Year 6 through the sixth form, with the annual fee divided into three equal terms. A non-refundable registration fee of £150 applies, along with a refundable deposit of £550 that is returned when a pupil leaves. Standard books, stationery and personal accident insurance are included; lunches, transport and some trip costs are extra. Sibling discounts run from 5% for a second child to 20% for a fourth. For nursery fees, families should contact the school directly, as these are quoted on inquiry.

Financial support comes in two forms, and the distinction matters. Scholarships are merit-based: academic scholarships at 11 are awarded automatically to the strongest performers in the entrance examination, with no separate application, while music, art and sport scholarships are offered at modest fixed values, and sixth-form scholarships are available too. Bursaries are means-tested awards based on family income, offered through the Bernard Heathcote Foundation to help talented children from lower-income households attend, with applications made to the Bursar. Because the merit scholarships are capped at modest levels rather than covering a large share of fees, families relying on financial help should focus on the bursary route and discuss it early.

The Dixie operates across two sites: the senior school on Station Road in the centre of Market Bosworth and the junior school and Pippins Nursery at Temple Hall, Wellsborough. The standard school day follows the usual independent pattern, with co-curricular clubs running at lunchtime and after school. For nursery fee details, see the school website. Government-funded hours are available for eligible families; see our guide to nursery funding.

The school is rural, so most families travel in by car, and the two-site arrangement means parents of children at both the junior and senior schools should plan the morning run carefully. The market-town setting between Hinckley, Nuneaton and Leicester gives the school a wide but car-dependent catchment. Families comparing the journey from home can use the FindMySchool map search to gauge travel to each site before committing to a visit, and the saved-schools shortlist makes it easy to keep The Dixie alongside other options while you decide.

The name can mislead. Despite calling itself a grammar school, The Dixie is a fee-paying independent school, not a free selective state grammar. Families researching state grammar options in Leicestershire should be clear about the distinction before applying, because the entry route and the cost are entirely different.

A-level standing is more typical than the GCSE record suggests. The senior school ranks within the top 25% in England at GCSE, but the sixth form's top-grade share sits below the England average and in the middle band of schools in England. Parents focused on the highest A-level outcomes should look closely at results in their child's intended subjects rather than the headline.

Small scale cuts both ways. With fewer than 500 pupils across all ages, class sizes are small and children are well known, but subject choice at A level and the breadth of teams and ensembles are necessarily narrower than at a large independent. One area flagged for development is broadening careers education for students in Years 7 to 9, so that younger pupils learn about a wider range of working life.

Cost and travel. As a rural, two-site day school, The Dixie suits families willing to commit to the daily journey, and fees, like those at all independent schools, rose with the introduction of VAT on school fees. Merit scholarships are capped at modest levels, so families needing significant help should explore the means-tested bursary route.

The Dixie Grammar School is a small, historic and academically selective independent day school that does the things small schools do well: it knows its children, keeps them safe, holds high expectations and offers genuinely distinctive activities from beekeeping to World Challenge expeditions. Its GCSE results sit comfortably in the top quarter of schools in England, and its pastoral culture is a real strength, with safeguarding and behaviour both judged to a high standard at its most recent inspection. The sixth form is solid rather than spectacular, with university progression strong but top A-level grades closer to the England norm.

It is best suited to families in south-west Leicestershire and north Warwickshire who want a traditional, structured education in a close-knit setting, who value character and resilience alongside academics, and who can prepare a child for selective entry at 11. The main caveat is to judge the sixth form on its own merits, and on results in the subjects that matter to your child, rather than assuming the strong GCSE record carries automatically into A level.