Castle Mead Academy
Performance (KS4 GCSE)
Three-year trends
Last three years of DfE data. How to read trends
Ofsted judgements
Getting a place
Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this
The cut-off distance is how far the last child offered a place lived, not a catchment boundary: it moves every year with the number of applicants. Published by the council in its 2026 allocation figures, and checked against that document before we show it.
Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).
School profile
- Age range
- 11–16
- Pupils on roll
- 1,240
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Admissions
- Non-Selective
Pupil background
Special educational needs
Attendance
Staffing & funding
“Typical” = the median secondary school in England. What this means
Nearby secondary schools
Location
Official sources
About Castle Mead Academy
Castle Mead Academy is a secondary school in Leicester, classified by the DfE as a free school. Around 1,240 pupils aged 11 to 16 attend the school. The school holds an 'Outstanding' judgement from Ofsted. In the most recent GCSE results, pupils achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 48.0, broadly in line with the national average of 46. That marks an improvement of 1.0 points in its Attainment 8 score on the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the top 38% of secondary schools nationally.
55% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, above the national average of about 45%. 70% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Competition for places is real here - 81% of first-choice applicants were offered a Year 7 place for September 2026 (278 first choices for 250 places). The council's own allocation figures show the last child offered a place for 2026 lived 0.97 miles away in a straight line — that distance is not a fixed catchment and moves each year. Overall pupil absence was 8.8%. There are about 20.0 pupils per teacher. The school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage: about 45% of pupils have been eligible for free school meals in the last six years, compared with roughly 24% nationally — useful context when reading the results above. When comparing schools, it is still worth visiting in person to see whether the atmosphere and approach suit your child. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.