Purple Oaks Academy
Purple Oaks Academy is a special free school in Northampton for boys and girls aged 3 to 18. It has 131 pupils, 31 more than it has places for. About 33 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.
Whiston Road, Kingsthorpe, Northampton, NN2 7RR01604 434471purpleoaksacademy.orgMrs Merushka Hansraj headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 1 March 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
9 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | West Northamptonshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 8 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 0.4 | 4.1 | 2.6 | 5.9 | 45.4 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -1.88 | -1.50 | -1.90 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 0% | 18% | 0% | 0% | 43% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 0% | 18% | 0% | 0% | 65% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 0.00 | 0.15 | 0.22 | 0.21 | 4.03 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 42% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 0.6 | 2.6 | 3.0 | – | – |
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
4 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | West Northamptonshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 4 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 3 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | 62% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | 8% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | – | 101.0 | 94.0 | 103.0 | – | 105.8 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | – | 90.0 | 86.0 | 98.0 | – | 104.7 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | – | 100.0 | 90.0 | 103.0 | – | 104.9 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | – | 13% | 0% | 30% | – | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | – | 0% | 0% | 20% | – | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | – | -8.9 | – | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | – | -10.0 | – | – | – |
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.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
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 the school teaches, from the latest school census.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (119), language and communications needs (5), Moderate learning difficulty (2), emotional and mental health (2), Physical disability (1), Severe learning difficulty (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 131 | 121 | 119 | 116 | 106 | 94 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 33% | 31% | 32% | 34% | 28% | 29% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 24% | 21% | 19% | 16% | 16% | 16% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 8.9% | 10.3% | 8.9% | 9.3% | 3.7% | 3.9% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 5.1% | 6.2% | 6.3% | 6.5% | 3.0% | 2.4% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 3.9% | 4.1% | 2.6% | 2.8% | 0.7% | 1.5% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 22.9% | 23.4% | 24.5% | 23.5% | 7.7% | 3.2% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 5.0 | 10.9 | 8.6 | 2.8 | 4.3 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 9 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 100%, compared with – for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers |
|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 100% | 100% |
| Education | 100% | 100% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 0% |
| Work | 0% | 0% |
| Not in education, work or training | 0% | 0% |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
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
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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Oaks Primary Academy | Academy | 200 m | 220 | Not inspected | 31 | Compare |
| Kingsthorpe College | Academy | 680 m | 1,415 | Good 2019 | 19 | Compare |
| The Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School | Academy | 760 m | 282 | No overall grade 2025 | 47 | Compare |
| Kingsthorpe Grove Primary School | Council | 970 m | 471 | Good 2023 | 13 | Compare |
| Sunnyside Primary Academy | Academy | 990 m | 364 | No overall grade 2025 | 25 | Compare |
| Kingsthorpe Village Primary School | Council | 0.7 miles | 202 | Report card 2026 | 39 | Compare |
| All Saints CofE VA Primary School | Church of England | 0.7 miles | 402 | Good 2022 | 33 | Compare |
| Cambian Northampton School | Independent | 0.7 miles | 30 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Purple Oaks Academy a good school?
Purple Oaks Academy doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in March 2022.
What is Purple Oaks Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Purple Oaks Academy good at its last full inspection on 1 March 2022. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.
How good are Purple Oaks Academy's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 0% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 0.4, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Purple Oaks Academy have?
131 pupils aged 3 to 18 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 100 places, so it is 131% full.
What is attendance like at Purple Oaks Academy?
Pupils were in school 91.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 23% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does Purple Oaks Academy have a sixth form?
Yes.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Whiston Road, Kingsthorpe, Northampton, NN2 7RR
- Telephone
- 01604 434471
- Website
- www.purpleoaksacademy.org
- Headteacher
- Mrs Merushka Hansraj
- Type of school
- Special free school (Free schools special, free schools)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 3-18, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- Greenwood Academies Trust (38 schools)
- Local authority
- West Northamptonshire
- Ward
- Kingsthorpe South
- Constituency
- Northampton North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2017
- URN
- 144759 · LAESTAB 9417002 · UKPRN 10064842
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.