Little Bowden School
Scotland Road, Little Bowden, Market Harborough, LE16 8AYOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Little Bowden School is a primary school in Market Harborough for ages 5 to 11. It is one of the 324 schools in Leicestershire. It ranks 10th of 15 primary schools in Market Harborough. Its latest Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, graded each key judgement and gave no overall Ofsted rating.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 14 January 2025, report published 2 February 2025
This inspection graded each key judgement and gave no overall effectiveness grade.
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years provision
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 14 January 2025
Pupils are happy at this vibrant school. There are positive relationships between pupils and staff. Pupils are kind to each other. They enjoy collaborating with partners in the classroom and demonstrate this well from the early years. The school places a strong focus on developing pupils' resilience so that they learn to 'bounce back' from setbacks. This helps pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. The school has high expectations of pupils. The school's recent focus on the curriculum means that staff understand exactly what pupils need to learn and remember. This new approach is ambitious and helps the school to achieve its vision of 'working together to love learning'. Pupils are enthusiastic about their work. Many pupils feel that teachers make learning fun and interesting. This helps pupils remember some of the important information that they must know before they can move to the next stage. Pupils feel safe. They know they can share any potential worries with trusted adults in school, who will sort things out quickly. The pastoral team works effectively with pupils and families when they need additional support. Pupils enjoy taking on responsibilities, such as becoming play leaders or librarians.
What the school should improve
- In some subjects, checks of what pupils have learned are not used well enough to identify their next steps. This means that, sometimes, the work that pupils complete does not address their misconceptions or extend their thinking well enough. The school should ensure that staff use checks of pupils' learning effectively in each subject, so that planned activities meet the needs of all pupils.
- The school has not checked if the curriculum is being delivered effectively in the more recently developed subjects. As a result, the school is not able to identify the successes and next steps for these subjects. The school should act swiftly to ensure that the curriculum is being taught well in every subject.
Exam results
SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25
59 pupils took the tests
Pupil numbers and mix
368 pupils on roll, with places for 420
Schools near Little Bowden School
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy | 0.6 miles | Ofsted: Good | 70% met the expected standard |
| Farndon Fields Primary School | 0.8 miles | Ofsted: Good | 47% met the expected standard |
| Meadowdale Primary School | 0.8 miles | Ofsted: Good | 57% met the expected standard |
| Market Harborough Church of England Academy | 0.8 miles | Ofsted: Good | 75% met the expected standard |
| Ridgeway Primary Academy | 1 mile | Report card: Needs attention to expected standard | 59% met the expected standard |
School details
- School type
- Community school
- Sector
- Local authority maintained
- Age range
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Nursery classes
- No
- Headteacher
- Mr Brendan Brannigan
- Phone
- 01858462528
- Address
- Scotland Road, Little Bowden, Market Harborough, LE16 8AY
- Local authority
- Leicestershire
- URN
- 119936
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.