School Chooser

Brambleside Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademy416 pupilsKetteringNorth Northamptonshire
School Chooser Score
90
Well above
similar schools
Likely range 81 to 94
Out of 100. Better than 69% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedStrong teachingOfsted report card, June 2026
Reached the expected level at 1167%England 63%
Attendance96.0%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families10%Far fewer than most schools
Places4 spare416 pupils, 420 places
Pupils per teacher24.8School workforce census

Brambleside Primary School is a converter academy in Kettering for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 416 pupils and room for 420. About 10 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 90 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 69% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in June 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Cleveland Avenue, Kettering, NN16 9NZ01536 310680brambleside.northants.sch.ukMr Drew Brown headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 9 June 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
Strong
Achievement
Strong
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
Strong
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
Strong
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
Strong
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
Strong
Early years
Strong
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
20 October 2021Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1Good

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

60 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1167%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level10%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score108.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score106.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 67%67%20172018: 68%68%20182019: 88%88%20192023: 64%64%20232024: 73%73%20242025: 67%67%2025
Since 2017: +0%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017North NorthamptonshireEngland
Pupils tested606056605951
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths67%73%64%88%68%67%61%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths10%15%16%23%19%18%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score108.0107.0107.0109.0106.0106.0104.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score106.0107.0105.0110.0106.0107.0103.9104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score107.0108.0108.0113.0109.0106.0104.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard80%83%79%92%81%75%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard78%85%75%97%81%80%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)82%75%82%92%86%80%
Reading progressReading progress score+1.6+4.5+1.2+0.7
Maths progressMaths progress score+0.7+4.7+1.6+1.4
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged44%50%57%75%40%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged71%79%65%90%73%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 4 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
44%71%
Gap 27 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
63%72%
Gap 9 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
70%67%
Gap 3 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
22%10%
Gap 12 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Nearly full419 pupils for 420 places, 2024/25
100% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to North Northamptonshire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll416Census January 2026
Places42099% full
Pupils from low-income families10%10% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English22%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support11%45 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%6 pupils with a plan
Average class size29.714 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)9%£57,350 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls215 / 201
White British pupils65%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 30.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (22), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (12), language and communications needs (10), Specific learning difficulty (3), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), Other difficulty or disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll416419416412409401
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals10%10%10%8%7%8%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language22%20%18%16%16%16%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support8%7%9%8%9%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans1%1%1%2%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.0%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school5.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils1.22024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.0%4.6%5.0%5.2%3.3%3.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.2%3.6%3.9%4.3%2.7%3.0%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.8%0.9%1.2%0.9%0.6%0.8%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence5.3%9.5%11.3%12.6%7.4%7.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate1.20.50.50.31.3
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00001

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers16.8full-time equivalent, 17 people
Pupils per teacher24.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants15.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,154
Teachers who left in the year6%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher4.32024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£5,442England £7,128. Total £2.3m
Income per pupil£5,573England £7,587. Total £2.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,819England £3,405
Money in reserve23%A lot put by: £547k, £1,305 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£55kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£5,442spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m27612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate75 per 1,000 people17% lower than the England average
Typical house price£265,000North Northamptonshire
Nearest bus stop140 mLitchfield Close, 9 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Kettering Buccleuch AcademyAcademy940 m1,808Report card 202664Compare
Kettering Park Infant AcademyAcademy0.7 miles220Good 202429Compare
Kettering Park Junior AcademyAcademy0.7 miles347Good 202445Compare
St Andrew's Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy0.8 miles348Good 202356Compare
Grange Primary AcademyAcademy1.1 miles229Not inspected14Compare
St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolAcademy1.2 miles257No overall grade 202573Compare
Compass Primary AcademyAcademy1.6 miles403Good 202321Compare
St Thomas More Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy1.7 miles216Good 202373Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Brambleside Primary School with the 49 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats69%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 90 is 10 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 7 · middle 80 · highest 100100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 90 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 90% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 81 to 94. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%above
+0.15
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 60 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%above
+0.21
Ofsted report card, 0.3 years old
Progress pupils make20%above
+0.19
DfE progress measure; 60 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
+0.01
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.10
2024/25; 362 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
+0.01
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 60 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Brambleside Primary School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Brambleside Primary School scores 90 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 69% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 81 to 94, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Brambleside Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 9 June 2026 it rated teaching as strong, achievement as strong, behaviour and attendance as strong, leadership as strong.

How good are Brambleside Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 67% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 10% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Brambleside Primary School have?

416 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 420 places, so it is 99% full.

Is Brambleside Primary School oversubscribed?

Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.

What is attendance like at Brambleside Primary School?

Pupils were in school 96.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 5% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Brambleside Primary School?

The average class had 29.7 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Cleveland Avenue, Kettering, NN16 9NZ
Telephone
01536 310680
Website
www.brambleside.northants.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mr Drew Brown
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Single-academy trust
Brambleside Academy Trust (1 schools)
Local authority
North Northamptonshire
Ward
Kettering North
Constituency
Kettering
Setting
Urban: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 April 2015 (academy converter)
URN
141632 · LAESTAB 9402222 · UKPRN 10049331
Formerly
Brambleside Community Primary School

Where these figures come from