School Chooser

Kingsthorpe Grove Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedCouncil471 pupilsNurseryNorthamptonWest Northamptonshire
School Chooser Score
13
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 7 to 23, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 12% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, December 2023
Reached the expected level at 1142%England 63%
Attendance94.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families31%A bit more than most schools
Places7 spare471 pupils, 478 places
Pupils per teacher17.7School workforce census

Kingsthorpe Grove Primary School is a council school in Northampton for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 471 pupils and room for 478. About 31 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. We give it 13 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 12% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

St Davids Road, Kingsthorpe, Northampton, NN2 7QL01604 714674kingsthorpegrove.northants.sch.ukMrs Alison Dolan headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 6 December 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1142%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score103.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score103.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 50%50%20172018: 33%33%20182019: 45%45%20192023: 37%37%20232024: 52%52%20242025: 42%42%2025
Since 2017: -8%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017West NorthamptonshireEngland
Pupils tested656363606462
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths42%52%37%45%33%50%62%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%8%0%0%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score103.0102.0103.0101.0101.0100.0105.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0102.0102.0101.0101.0100.0104.7104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score102.0100.0101.0101.0102.0102.0104.9105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard60%60%59%52%53%50%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard62%63%62%50%55%60%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)46%56%46%57%58%68%
Reading progressReading progress score-3.0-2.9-1.7-1.9
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.9-3.4-1.6-2.4
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged22%24%24%53%18%38%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged52%63%43%41%40%56%

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
22%52%
Gap 30 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
33%56%
Gap 23 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
36%42%
Gap 6 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 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.

Full446 pupils for 416 places, 2024/25
107% full

The school is full, with 30 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. 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 West 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 roll471Census January 2026
Places47899% full
Pupils from low-income families31%31% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English38%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support15%72 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan11%52 pupils with a plan
Average class size26.314 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)31%£215,450 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls238 / 233
White British pupils37%

Specialist SEND provision. SEN unit with 28 pupils, for autism.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in West Northamptonshire with autism provision.

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.6 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (60), Autistic spectrum disorder (22), Other difficulty or disability (20), emotional and mental health (8), Specific learning difficulty (6), Moderate learning difficulty (4).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll471478484478474461
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals31%30%29%24%23%22%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language38%40%42%43%42%40%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support17%16%13%13%14%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans8%8%8%7%6%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school13.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.62024/25, 1 permanent exclusion
Missed without permission1.1%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.6%6.3%7.4%7.2%5.5%5.3%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.5%4.7%5.3%5.2%4.1%4.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.1%1.6%2.1%2.0%1.4%1.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence13.3%17.4%22.5%21.6%12.7%12.5%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.60.60.00.60.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions10000

Staff and money

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

Teachers26.6full-time equivalent, 31 people
Pupils per teacher17.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers87%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants30.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£48,194
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.82024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£7,540England £7,738. Total £3.6m
Income per pupil£7,605England £7,697. Total £3.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,570England £3,480
Money in reserve7%Not much put by: £265k, £555 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£31kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,540spent 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 m1,01812 months to June 2026, mostly shoplifting
Local crime rate176 per 1,000 people94% higher than the England average
Typical house price£300,000West Northamptonshire
Nearest bus stop110 mQueensland Gardens, 14 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
The Good Shepherd Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy230 m282No overall grade 202547Compare
Malcolm Arnold Preparatory SchoolFree school620 m401Good 202368Compare
Kingsthorpe Village Primary SchoolCouncil730 m202Report card 202639Compare
Green Oaks Primary AcademyAcademy920 m220Not inspected31Compare
Kingsley Primary SchoolAcademy0.9 miles401Good 202331Compare
Northampton International AcademyFree school0.9 miles1,754No overall grade 202415Compare
Earl Spencer Primary SchoolCouncil1.0 miles352No overall grade 202515Compare
Castle AcademyAcademy1.1 miles455Report card 202654Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Kingsthorpe Grove 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.

Beats12%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 13 is 26 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 5 · middle 39 · highest 98100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 49 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Kingsthorpe Grove Primary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Upton Meadows Primary SchoolAcademy2.6 miles387Good 202224Compare
Compass Primary AcademyAcademy12.4 miles403Good 202321Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 13 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 13% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 7 to 23. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. 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%below
-0.21
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 65 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 2.8 years old
Progress pupils make20%well below
-0.25
DfE progress measure; 65 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.04
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
-0.02
2024/25; 400 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well below
-0.17
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 65 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 Kingsthorpe Grove Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. Kingsthorpe Grove Primary School scores 13 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 12% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 7 to 23, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Kingsthorpe Grove Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Kingsthorpe Grove Primary School good at its last full inspection on 6 December 2023.

How good are Kingsthorpe Grove Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 42% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Kingsthorpe Grove Primary School have?

471 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 478 places, so it is 99% full.

Is Kingsthorpe Grove Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 30 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.

What is attendance like at Kingsthorpe Grove Primary School?

Pupils were in school 94.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 13% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Kingsthorpe Grove Primary School?

The average class had 26.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does Kingsthorpe Grove Primary School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It has sen unit for autism. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

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

Contact and details

Address
St Davids Road, Kingsthorpe, Northampton, NN2 7QL
Telephone
01604 714674
Website
www.kingsthorpegrove.northants.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Alison Dolan
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
West Northamptonshire
Ward
Kingsthorpe South
Constituency
Northampton North
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 January 1900
URN
121943 · LAESTAB 9412208 · UKPRN 10081461

Where these figures come from