Spark Vale Academy is an independent special school in Leicester for children and young people aged 11 to 18.
- Ages 11–18
- 4 pupils
- Ofsted: Inadequate
School details
- Type
- Independent special school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 4 (places for 45)
- Headteacher
- Headteacher Katie James
- Opened
- 4 October 2024
- Council
- Leicester
- School reference (URN)
- 151121
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places at schools like this usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.
- Visit and ask questions
See whether the school feels right and whether it can meet your child’s needs. Our list of questions below can help.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often Leicester council) that this is the school you want, and ask them to consult it.
- An offer, and the council’s agreement
As an independent school not approved under Section 41, it doesn’t have to accept a place: the school has to offer one, and the council has to agree to name it in the plan.
Questions to ask when you visit
8 questions to tick off as you go
Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.
Ofsted
Rated Inadequate, June 2025; met all standards that were checked (February 2026)
Rated Inadequate at its last graded inspection, in June 2025.
- Quality of educationInsufficient evidence
- Behaviour and attitudesInsufficient evidence
- Personal developmentInsufficient evidence
- Leadership and managementInadequate
- Sixth formInsufficient evidence
- SafeguardingNot effective
Since then: Met all standards that were checked (monitoring visit, February 2026).
Independent school standards: did not meet all standards.
Contact and getting there
Crt House, 176 Melton Road, Leicester, LE4 5EE
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
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The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- Rushey Mead Academy Mainstream + base · Ages 11–16 · Ofsted report card (2026) 0.2 miles
- Rushey Mead Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 3–11 · Ofsted: Good 0.3 miles
- Catherine Infant School Mainstream + base · Ages 3–7 · Ofsted: Outstanding 0.8 miles
By need in Leicester: Autism (18) · Speech and language (17) · SEMH (5) · Severe learning (5) · Moderate learning (4) · PMLD (2) · Physical (2)
Questions about Spark Vale Academy
How do I get a place at Spark Vale Academy?
There’s no catchment area or application round. Places usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult Spark Vale Academy. As an independent school not approved under Section 41, it has to offer a place and the council has to agree to name it.
What ages does Spark Vale Academy take?
Aged 11 to 18, boys and girls.
What is Spark Vale Academy’s Ofsted rating?
There’s no overall grade to show. Read the school’s latest inspection report on the Ofsted website.
Where is Spark Vale Academy?
Crt House, 176 Melton Road, Leicester, LE4 5EE, in Leicester.
School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.