Maidwell Primary School

Overall, Maidwell Primary School is a strong, welcoming village primary with a distinctive family ethos. Inspectors found behaviour and personal development to be outstanding, while the quality of education, leadership and management, and early years provision were good. Pupils are safe, happy and well supported; staff know them exceptionally well, pastoral care is tailored, attendance is strong, and pupils benefit from an exceptionally wide range of enrichment. The school is ambitious for all pupils, who achieve well and are confident, articulate learners. Recent improvements to reading and the curriculum are having a positive impact, and leaders, governors and staff are well supported through change. There are still areas to refine. Recent curriculum change means that, in some cases, activities for pupils at the early stages of learning, including some pupils with SEND, are not sharply focused enough on the foundational knowledge they need. In a few subjects, assessment and recall checks are not yet fully developed, so teachers do not always know what pupils have secured. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2014, after a period of exemption; it is a small maintained primary with 65 pupils, and the headteacher took up post in April 2023.

Strengths

• Strong family ethos that makes the school safe and welcoming
• Staff know pupils exceptionally well and provide tailored pastoral support
• High expectations of behaviour are deeply embedded
• Pupils achieve well and become confident, articulate learners
• Recent improvements to reading and phonics are effective
• Broad curriculum with strong mathematics and geography vocabulary
• Early years children quickly become independent and focused
• Exceptionally wide range of enrichment and extracurricular opportunities
• Strong personal development through fundamental British values and visits
• Attendance is strong and issues are addressed rapidly
• Pupils feel listened to and take on meaningful leadership roles
• Leaders and governors know what needs to improve and support staff well
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum is not always shaped carefully enough for pupils at the early stages of learning
• Tasks for some pupils with SEND or needing extra help are sometimes not sharply focused on foundational skills
• In a few subjects, systems to check pupils’ recall over time are not fully in place
• Assessment information is not always used consistently to inform future learning

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Maidwell Primary School attended 95.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at Maidwell Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Maidwell Primary School had 17.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 7.5% of pupils at Maidwell Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Maidwell Primary School received £8,356 and spent £8,956 for each of its 67 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £30,000 (£450 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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What is Maidwell Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Maidwell Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Maidwell Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Maidwell Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Maidwell Primary School have?

Maidwell Primary School has 67 pupils on roll.

What age range does Maidwell Primary School cover?

Maidwell Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Maidwell Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Maidwell Primary School?

Maidwell Primary School is at Draughton Road, Maidwell, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN6 9JF.