Ofsted: Outstanding trending_up High Demand emoji_events #1 in West Northamptonshire public Top 5% UK

Northampton School for Boys

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Richard Bernard

corporate_fareNORTHAMPTON SCHOOL FOR BOYS

location_onNorthampton, NN1 5RT

language Visit Website phone 1604230240

verified

Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2025

groups

Students

1,607

trending_up

Attainment 8

58.2

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GCSE Rank

#1 in West Northamptonshire

#309 of 3,216 nationally

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Northampton School for Boys is a Academy converter secondary school in Northampton, serving ages 11-18. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade. Highly competitive: 2.7× more applications than places — plan well ahead.

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School Summary

Northampton School for Boys is an academy converter in Northampton, West Northamptonshire, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of NORTHAMPTON SCHOOL FOR BOYS. The school has approximately 1,713 pupils on roll, of whom 11% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 58.2, placing the school #1 in West Northamptonshire and #309 of 3,216 nationally. 71.60% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 33.2% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 24 A-level subjects. 66.4% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 36.3% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.06 — sixth-form progress was broadly average.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2025. The school's current overall rating is Outstanding. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Outstanding, behaviour and attitudes Outstanding, personal development Outstanding, and leadership and management Outstanding.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 2.7× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 18.8:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 0.8 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

58.2

Grade 5+ E&M

71.60%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)33.2%

Entering EBacc76.40%

EBacc APS5.36

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.95

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

61.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc75.00%

EBacc APS5.71

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.57

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

59.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc67%

EBacc APS5.44

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.68

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

61.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc61%

EBacc APS5.6

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc75%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.52

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

58.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc69%

EBacc APS5.37

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.66

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

59.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc70%

EBacc APS5.45

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)92%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)94%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)93%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)95%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)94%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

-0.06

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

257

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*14.5%

Achieving A*–A36.3%

Achieving A*–B66.4%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate97.7%

A-level subjects offered24

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.04

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

255

Retention rate95.30%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

227

Retention rate96.00%

2022

Avg Grade

B+

Students

242

Retention rate97.5%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

11 March 2025

Inspection Report

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12 November 2014

Inspection Report

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14 February 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2025-03-11

S5 Inspection EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Outstanding

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Outstanding

2014-11-12

Exempt School Inspection EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

2006-11-21

None EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

0.9%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.8%(13 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,713 pupils. During this period, there were 16 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.9%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,713	16	0.9%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,715	11	0.6%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,677	10	0.6%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,678	11	0.7%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,686	22	1.3%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,602	13	0.8%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,607	5	0.3%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,612	16	1.0%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,602	11	0.7%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,606	8	0.5%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,611	10	0.6%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,632	8	0.5%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,632	0	0.0%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,639	15	0.9%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,627	3	0.2%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,627	13	0.8%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,637	14	0.9%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,623	16	1.0%	3.1%	1
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,630	12	0.7%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,638	19	1.2%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,610	17	1.1%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,622	30	1.8%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,624	22	1.4%	3.7%	1
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,609	13	0.8%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,612	20	1.2%	3.3%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,618	18	1.1%	3.1%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 64 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 34 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 30 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 16 pupils

Physical Disability 9 pupils

Hearing Impairment 7 pupils

Visual Impairment 7 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 2 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 1 pupils