Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #31 in West Northamptonshire public Top 39% UK

Blackthorn Primary School

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

personMs Becca Williams

corporate_fareNORTHAMPTON PRIMARY ACADEMY TRUST

location_onNorthampton, NN3 8EP

language Visit Website phone 1604407254

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2022

groups

Students

233

school

Expected Standard

68%

local_fire_department

Demand Ratio

1.0x

summarize

Blackthorn Primary School is a Academy sponsor led primary school in Northampton, serving ages 4-11. Rated Good by Ofsted. Ranks in the top 39% of primary schools nationally.

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School Summary

Blackthorn Primary School is an academy sponsor led in Northampton, West Northamptonshire, admitting pupils aged 4-11. It is part of NORTHAMPTON PRIMARY ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 231 pupils on roll, of whom 41% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 68% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 4% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #31 of 135 primaries in West Northamptonshire and #3,961 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2022. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 1.0× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 20.3:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 5.5 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

68%

LA 60%

Reading79% LA 75%

Writing68% LA 71%

Maths75% LA 73%

Read SS

104

Maths SS

104

GPS SS

103

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

55%

LA 61%England 61%

Reading74% LA 75% · Eng 74%

Writing68% LA 72% · Eng 72%

Maths61% LA 73% · Eng 73%

Read SS

103

Maths SS

102

GPS SS

103

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

44%

LA 58%England 60%

Reading52% LA 72% · Eng 73%

Writing70% LA 70% · Eng 71%

Maths70% LA 71% · Eng 73%

Read SS

103

Maths SS

103

GPS SS

103

Progress (0 = national avg)

0.6

Read

LA -0.1

-1.9 to 3.2

1.7

Write

LA 0.2

-0.8 to 4.1

0.7

Maths

LA -0.4

-1.7 to 3.2

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

51%

LA 62%England 65%

Reading57% LA 72% · Eng 73%

Writing57% LA 78% · Eng 78%

Maths61% LA 75% · Eng 79%

Read SS

100

Maths SS

101

GPS SS

105

Progress (0 = national avg)

-1.2

Read

LA -0.3

-3.0 to 0.6

-2.1

Write

LA -0.2

-3.7 to -0.4

-0.9

Maths

LA -0.9

-2.5 to 0.6

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

LA 62%

Reading-% LA 75%

Writing-% LA 79%

Maths-% LA 72%

Read SS

Maths SS

GPS SS

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

LA -0.4

Write

LA -0.3

Maths

LA -0.9

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

13 September 2022

Inspection Report

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24 November 2020

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2022-09-13

Academy First Section 5 EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2016-06-22

Special Measures S5 ReInspection EIF

Inadequate

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Inadequate

2014-07-01

None EIF

Inadequate

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Inadequate

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

5.2%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 0.8% for this term (primary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

3.0%(7 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: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 231 pupils. During this period, there were 12 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 5.2%, which is above the termly national average of 0.8%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	231	12	5.2%	0.8%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	222	13	5.9%	0.9%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	247	11	4.5%	0.8%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	243	7	2.9%	0.7%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	235	6	2.6%	0.8%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	238	10	4.2%	0.7%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	233	9	3.9%	0.6%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	222	15	6.8%	0.6%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	236	4	1.7%	0.5%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	228	4	1.8%	0.5%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	210	15	7.1%	0.5%	1
2020/21 (Summer term)	248	19	7.7%	0.4%	1
2020/21 (Spring term)	248	1	0.4%	0.1%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	231	3	1.3%	0.4%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	266	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	266	14	5.3%	0.4%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	258	20	7.8%	0.6%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	300	15	5.0%	0.4%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	289	21	7.3%	0.5%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	311	29	9.3%	0.5%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	0	11	-	0.5%	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 19 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 12 pupils

Physical Disability 5 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 4 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 2 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 1 pupils

Visual Impairment 1 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 1 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

94.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

100.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

39.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree67%

agree22%

disagree6%

don't know6%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree44%

agree44%

disagree6%

don't know6%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree22%

agree28%

disagree6%

don't know6%

not applicable39%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree33%

agree67%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree50%

agree39%

disagree6%

don't know6%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree50%

agree39%

disagree6%

don't know6%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree33%

agree50%

don't know17%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree56%

agree28%

don't know17%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree56%

agree33%

disagree6%

don't know6%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes89%

no11%

Top Primary Schools in West Northamptonshire

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

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Parklands Primary School

Good

location_on Northampton, NN3 6DW

emoji_events #1 in LA

Abington Vale Primary School

Good

location_on Northampton, NN3 3NQ

emoji_events #2 in LA

Eastfield Academy

Good

location_on Northampton, NN3 2RJ

emoji_events #3 in LA

Pineham Barns Primary School

Good

location_on None, NN4 9FF

emoji_events #4 in LA

Silverstone Church of England Primary School

Good

location_on Towcester, NN12 8UB

emoji_events #5 in LA

The Arbours Primary Academy

Outstanding

location_on Northampton, NN3 3QF

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in West Northamptonshire arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Primary Schools in West Northamptonshire

Parklands Primary School

Abington Vale Primary School

Eastfield Academy

Pineham Barns Primary School

Silverstone Church of England Primary School

The Arbours Primary Academy