SF School Facts UK

Primary school in Leicester, Leicestershire

The Merton Primary School

Cherry Drive, Syston, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE7 2PT

School website 01162608150
Ofsted No grade January 2025
Met the expected standard 71% in the upper half nationally
Chance of a place 100% of first choices offered
Local deprivation 9/10 less deprived

Ofsted

Inspected under the current framework, which gives no overall grade, on 28 January 2025.

This inspection did not give an overall grade. Read the report for Ofsted's findings; it cannot be compared as a single score with a historic grade.

Read the Ofsted report

Current published outcome
Report card — no overall grade
Last overall grade in this dataset
Not stored — this dataset keeps the latest inspection, which has no overall grade
Days since inspection
612 days
Framework era
Current framework (no overall grade)

These four fields describe the latest published inspection on this record. The dataset does not keep a previous inspection row, so a school inspected under the current framework will usually have no overall grade to show as “prior”.

Key stage 2 results 2024/25

Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths

71% England 60.7%

Reached the higher standard

12% England 8.1%

Average reading score

105 England 105.3

Average maths score

106 England 104.1

On the headline measure this school is in the upper half of state-funded primaries in England.

Compared with the fifth of schools whose intake is least disadvantaged, which is where this one sits, it is in the better-performing half.

There are no progress measures for primary schools any more. They were calculated from a key stage 1 baseline, and statutory key stage 1 tests ended in 2023, so nothing has been published since. That makes attainment the only official measure — and attainment tracks intake closely, which is why the comparison against similar schools above is the more useful of the two lines.

Getting a place 2026/27 entry

About as many first choices as places. Of the 46 families who named this school as their first choice, 100% were offered a place.

Places offered
48

for entry into Reception

Named it first choice
46
First choices per place
0.96

England average 1.00

First choices offered a place
100%

England 95.1%

Demand has been broadly steady over three years.

These are offers made on national offer day for 2026/27 entry, from the local authority's co-ordinated admissions round. They exclude later movement — waiting lists, appeals and in-year admissions — so a school shown as oversubscribed may still have places by September.

Oversubscription measures popularity, not quality, and the two are not the same thing: a school can be heavily oversubscribed because of its intake, its faith designation or simply because the nearest alternative is further away. We do not publish catchment maps, because catchments are not published: each admissions authority applies its own criteria afresh every year, and the distance that got a child in last year is not a boundary. Read the school's own admissions arrangements for the rules that will actually apply.

Pupils

Pupils on roll
413
Places
420
How full
Nearly full — 413 of 420 places taken
Girls / boys
196 / 217
Overall absence
4%

primary schools average 5.2%

Persistently absent
6%

primary schools average 12.8% — pupils missing 10% or more of sessions

Free school meals, last 6 years
11%

England 25.7%

English as an additional language
5%

England 18.7%

With an EHC plan
1%

England 3.5%

On SEN support
8%

England 15%

School funding 2025-26 financial year

Not found for this URN in the 2025-26 release.

Evidence found
Not found for this URN in the 2025-26 release; this is not represented as £0.
Source coverage
DfE mainstream-school allocations for running costs for pupils aged 5-16, importer snapshot 23 August 2026.
What this means
The official mainstream allocation release does not provide a publishable row for this establishment.
What this does not mean
The school received no public funding or has no budget; other establishment types and funding streams use different publications.

Allocation is not expenditure. DfE says this release combines the schools block with several other revenue grants and excludes capital spending. Funding is shown for context and is never used in School Facts ordering, peer groups or quality claims. Source, licence and coverage.

Roads and getting there

Road casualties within 500m

Child pedestrian casualties
0

England average 1.6 — pedestrians under 16, over five years

All reported collisions
0

England average 24.2 over five years

Of those, serious or fatal
0
Busiest road nearby
U

628 vehicles a day (2019)

Public transport

Bus stops within 500m
5

England average 11.9

Nearest station
Syston Rail Station

0.9 km away — railway station

Traffic volume is the context the collision count needs: a school beside a major road will record more collisions than one on a quiet street without being any less well run.

Every collision reported to the police within 500m of the school over the five years to 2024, from the Department for Transport's road casualty statistics. A high count usually says the school sits on or near a busy road, not that the school is unsafe — counts rise with traffic and with how built up an area is, and a rural school on a fast road may have fewer collisions but a worse one. Distances are straight-line from the school's recorded position.

The area around the school

9/10 Deprivation decile

Among the least deprived fifth of England.

9/10 Child poverty decile

Among the least deprived fifth of England for children in low-income families.

Indices of Deprivation 2019, for the small area the school stands in. 1 means the most deprived tenth of England, 10 the least. The second measure counts only children living in low-income families, which is the one that describes the intake a school is likely to draw on.

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£267,500

postcode sector LE7 2 · 266 sales

Typical range
£216,750 to £324,250

middle half of sales

Detached
£385,000
Semi-detached
£266,000
Terraced
£235,000
Flat
£130,000

Homes around this school are close to the England average.

Every residential sale registered in this postcode sector since January 2024, from HM Land Registry. A sector covers roughly 2,500 addresses. England's median over the same period was £293,000.

Who lives there

Adults with a degree
22%

England 33.8%

Adults with no qualifications
21%

England 18.3%

In professional or managerial work
11%

England 13.4%

Households deprived in 2+ ways
16%

England 17.8%

Residents in very good health
47%

England 48.4%

Housing

Owned by the occupier
88%

England 62.7%

Social housing
3%

England 17%

Privately rented
9%

England 19.2%

Detached homes
53%

England 38.2%

Four or more bedrooms
21%

England 22.5%

No car
12%

England 21.9%

Census 2021, for Charnwood 018C and the wider neighbourhood around it. These figures describe the area, not the pupils — children may travel in from much further away, and for selective, faith and independent schools they usually do.

School details

Type
Academy converter
Phase
Primary
Ages
Ages 5–11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Sixth form
No
Nursery
No
Boarding
Day school
Headteacher
Headteacher: Nick Sale
Opened as this establishment
1 October 2012
Register status
Open
Local authority
Leicestershire
Ward
Syston
Constituency
Melton and Syston
URN
138818

The unique reference number used in all official school data.

Official DfE record
Open the register entry

The source record for this establishment and URN.

The URN identifies this registered establishment. If a school converts or is replaced, DfE may issue a new URN; this page does not stitch different establishments together by a similar name.

Admissions history

The official school-level admissions releases contain up to 13 national-offer-day observations, from 2014/15 to 2026/27. The chart shows first choices per place; the table keeps the underlying counts.

Reception

1.70 2014/15: 1.43 first choices per place2015/16: 1.50 first choices per place2016/17: 1.27 first choices per place2017/18: 1.16 first choices per place2018/19: 1.10 first choices per place2019/20: 1.15 first choices per place2020/21: 1.25 first choices per place2021/22: 1.00 first choices per place2022/23: 0.93 first choices per place2023/24: 0.98 first choices per place2024/25: 1.00 first choices per place2025/26: 0.98 first choices per place2026/27: 0.96 first choices per place2014201620182020202220242026
All 13 annual observations
Entry yearPlacesFirst choicesPer placeFirst choices offered
2014/15 60 86 1.43 58%
2015/16 60 90 1.50 67%
2016/17 59 75 1.27 77%
2017/18 58 67 1.16 81%
2018/19 60 66 1.10 89%
2019/20 60 69 1.15 84%
2020/21 60 75 1.25 77%
2021/22 60 60 1.00 97%
2022/23 57 53 0.93 100%
2023/24 60 59 0.98 93%
2024/25 60 60 1.00 100%
2025/26 57 56 0.98 100%
2026/27 48 46 0.96 100%

These are annual observations, not forecasts. They exclude waiting lists, appeals and in-year admissions. Each series follows this exact URN only, so academy conversions and missing releases remain visible as gaps rather than being joined by name.

Nearest primary schools

SchoolOfstedExpected standardDistanceCompare
St Peter and St Paul Church of England AcademyAcademy converter Good 2023 — 0.8 mi
Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary AcademyAcademy converter No overall grade 49% 0.9 mi
The Pochin SchoolAcademy converter No overall grade 78% 0.9 mi
Eastfield Primary SchoolAcademy converter Requires improvement 2023 62% 0.9 mi
Church Hill Infant SchoolAcademy converter Good 2024 — 1.3 mi
Church Hill Church of England Junior SchoolAcademy converter Good 2022 61% 1.3 mi
Queniborough Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy converter Good 2024 52% 1.4 mi
Broomfield Community Primary SchoolAcademy converter Report card 2026 60% 1.8 mi

Schools like this

The 12 state schools in England whose intake most closely matches this one — same phase and sector, and as near as the data allows on size, disadvantage, SEN, English as an additional language and the deprivation of the surrounding area. These are the schools it can fairly be judged against.

This school 71%
Median of its 12 closest peers 68%
Leicestershire average 62.1%
England average 60.7%

Percentage meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. This school is ahead of the schools that teach a comparable intake.

SchoolAreaOfstedExpected standardCompare
Leechpool Primary SchoolCommunity school Horsham Requires improvement 2024 63%
Wood Fold Primary SchoolCommunity school Wigan No overall grade 85%
Robert Wilkinson Primary AcademyAcademy converter York Good 2023 68%
Long Ridings Primary SchoolCommunity school Brentwood Good 2024 80%
Orrell Newfold Community Primary SchoolCommunity school Wigan Outstanding 2024 90%
Shotley Bridge Primary SchoolCommunity school Consett Good 2023 61%
St Lukes CofE Primary SchoolVoluntary controlled school Cannock Report card 2026 74%
Rushden Primary AcademyAcademy sponsor led Rushden Good 2024 64%
Ravenbank Primary SchoolAcademy converter Lymm Good 2023 79%
Offley Primary AcademyAcademy converter Sandbach No overall grade 45%
Elmwood Primary SchoolFoundation school Chelmsford Good 2023 54%
Woodlands Primary SchoolCommunity school Liverpool Report card 2026 61%

Matching uses only characteristics a school does not choose. It is not a ranking, and a close match on intake does not make two schools interchangeable — sixth form, faith character, admissions rules and simple geography all matter and are not in the calculation.

Evidence ledger

Reference dates and join methods are kept separate because the figures do not all describe the same year or geography.

EvidencePublisherReference dateHow it reaches this page
School identityGet Information About Schools23 August 2026Exact URN 138818; unified importer snapshot
Inspection evidenceOfsted management information31 July 2026Exact URN; inspection 28 January 2025
AttainmentDfE performance tables2024/25Exact URN; phase-specific definitions
AdmissionsDfE school applications and offers2026/27 plus history to 2014/15Exact URN and entry point; national offer day
Pupil intakeDfE school census2024/25Exact URN; suppressed values remain missing
Funding allocationDfE school funding statistics2025-26 financial yearNo row for this URN in the mainstream-school release; not represented as zero
Roads and transportDfT road casualties, traffic and NaPTANFive-year road window; access-node snapshotCoordinate join within the stated radius
NeighbourhoodONS Census2021LSOA/MSOA containing the school, not pupil homes
DeprivationEnglish Indices of Deprivation2019LSOA containing the school
Home pricesHM Land Registry Price Paid DataSales since January 2024School postcode sector, not a catchment

These sources are published for reuse under the Open Government Licence v3.0, including the Crown database-right notice that accompanies Price Paid Data. Definitions and source notes. If something here looks wrong, the school's own website is the authority on admissions and open days.

Questions this school record can answer

Which exact school is this?

Match the DfE URN, school name and address; names and structures can change while the URN remains the stable identifier.

What does the latest inspection evidence say?

Use the inspection date and framework shown. Do not compare a legacy overall grade directly with the newer report-card judgements.

How should I compare nearby schools?

Compare the same phase, cohort and academic year, then keep intake context and confidence intervals beside performance measures.

What must a parent verify?

Check current admissions rules, travel practicality, support for the child’s needs and the school’s latest official information before deciding.