Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy
Barkby Thorpe Lane, Thurmaston, Leicester, LE4 8GP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- ST THOMAS AQUINAS CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Andrew Monaghan
- Diocese
- Diocese of Nottingham
- Constituency
- Melton and Syston
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 341
- Pupils on roll
- 232
- URN
- 149144
- Local authority
- Leicestershire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01162695510
About this school
Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Leicester. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 232 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 21 May 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 45 | 25 | 32 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 49% | 68% | 53% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 9% | 4% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 62% | 80% | 59% |
| Expected standard in maths | 60% | 84% | 69% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 69% | 72% | 72% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 105.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 105.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.10 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Leicestershire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 49% | 60.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 68% | 60.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 53% | 61.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 256 |
| 2023/24 | 236 |
| 2024/25 | 241 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy compares
Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy ranked 159th of 211 primary schools in Leicestershire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 26% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 53% | 5% | 15.4% | 232 | — |
| Eastfield Primary School | 51% | 5% | 16.4% | 335 | 0.3 miles |
| Church Hill Infant School | — | 4.3% | 14.5% | 167 | 0.5 miles |
| Church Hill Church of England Junior School | 57% | 4.3% | 22% | 238 | 0.5 miles |
| The Merton Primary School | 58% | 3.7% | 11.1% | 413 | 0.9 miles |
| Sandfield Close Primary School | 64% | 4.3% | 16.9% | 250 | 1.2 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 15.35%
- English as an additional language
- 14.9%
- Overall absence
- 5.03%
- Persistent absence
- 8.41%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Eastfield Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Leicester
-
Church Hill Infant School0.5 miles
Primary · Leicester
-
Church Hill Church of England Junior School0.5 miles
Primary · Leicester
-
The Merton Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Leicester
-
Sandfield Close Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Leicester
Other schools in Leicester
Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy ranks 106th of the 139 ranked primary schools in Leicester.
- Abbey Mead Primary Academy Primary
- Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School Primary
- All Saints Church of England Primary School, Sapcote Primary
- Arnesby Church of England Primary School Primary
- Avenue Primary School Primary
- Badgerbrook Primary School Primary
- Barley Croft Primary School Primary
- Barwell Church of England Academy Primary
- Barwell Infant School Primary
- Beaumont Lodge Primary School Primary
- Belgrave St Peter's CofE Primary School Primary
- Billesdon Church of England Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy teach?
- Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Leicester.
- Who is the headteacher of Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy?
- The headteacher of Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy is Mr Andrew Monaghan, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy?
- Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy has 232 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy full?
- Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy has capacity for 341 pupils and 232 on roll (68%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy a faith school?
- Yes. Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Nottingham.
- Does Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy?
- Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy is part of ST THOMAS AQUINAS CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 49% in 2022/23 and 53% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy rank locally?
- Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy ranked 159th of 211 primary schools in Leicestershire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 26% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy's absence rate?
- Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy's overall absence rate is 5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 10 July 2026.