Primary school will be many children’s first experience with formal education, and the skills they learn there will help pave the way for what comes next.
However, not all schools are made equal. Each will have its own strengths and weaknesses, and be best suited to different kinds of pupils. But no matter what, they will be expected to teach children a core set of academic skills they can build off of as they move on to secondary school and beyond.
We’ve created a league table of state-funded primary schools across North and West Northamptonshire, based on the percentage of each school’s pupils who completed Year 6 in the 2022-23 school year (the most up-to-date data available, until finalised data for the 2024 school year is published in December or January) who met the government’s expected standards in three essential school skills: reading, writing and maths.
All schools included on the list had more than 80% of their pupils hit this target. This gave many smaller village and community schools the chance to shine, while also allowing larger primary schools in the likes of Northampton, Wellingborough, and Kettering - typically with many more pupils to get across the goalposts - to prove they can also excel.
Each school included also had an overall Ofsted rating of ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ before this measure was recently dropped, meaning that the quality of education provided, student behaviour and attitudes, school leadership and management and student safeguarding were all found to meet or exceed government standards last time the school was inspected.
Here were the 19 schools from across Northamptonshire that came out on top:
9. Pineham Barns Primary School
Pineham Barns is a fairly new primary school in the Upton area, on the outskirts of Northampton. It was formerly rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted. In the 2022/23 school year, 93% of its pupils also met the government’s expected standards in reading, writing, and maths - compared to averages of 58% locally and 60% nationally. | Google
10. Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery
Briar Hill is a primary and nursery school in Northampton. It was formerly rated ‘outstanding’ overall by Ofsted. In the 2022/23 school year, 90% of its pupils met the government’s expected standards in reading, writing, and maths - compared to averages of 58% locally and 60% nationally. | Google
11. Chipping Warden Primary Academy
This is a primary school in the village of Chipping Warden, West Northamptonshire. It was formerly rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted. In the 2022/23 school year, 88% of its pupils met the government’s expected standards in reading, writing, and maths - compared to averages of 58% locally and 60% nationally. | Google
12. Pytchley Endowed Church of England Primary School
This is an Anglican primary school in the village of Pytchley, just out of Kettering, North Northamptonshire. It was formerly rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted. In the 2022/23 school year, 88% of its pupils also met the government’s expected standards in reading, writing, and maths - compared to averages of 56% locally and 60% nationally. | Google