Brackley Church of England Junior School

Brackley Church of England Junior School is a 221-pupil junior school that has experienced significant staffing and leadership turbulence, with a new headteacher joining in September 2024. Safeguarding standards are met, and inspectors found the school is fulfilling expected standards in attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and personal development and wellbeing. Pupils feel safe, behave well and benefit from a caring ethos, clear routines and a well-designed curriculum. Reading teaching is well established, teaching has improved notably in mathematics and writing, and disadvantaged pupils generally achieve in line with national averages. The school also has strong SEND identification and support processes, although many parents of pupils with SEND remain frustrated by provision and communication. However, achievement and leadership and governance need attention. Outcomes in mathematics and writing are not consistently in line with national averages, and pupils' writing remains less well developed, including handwriting, spelling, punctuation and grammar. The new leadership team has improved teaching and learning and checks curriculum delivery closely, but communication with parents and staff is weak. Governors do not receive enough information about provision beyond reading, writing and mathematics, and they are not fully in touch with staff and parents, which limits their ability to hold leaders to account. Some staff are unclear about changing roles, responsibilities and priorities, and some feel obliged to undertake unreasonable amounts of work. Some disadvantaged pupils still need further support to attend regularly.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where concerns are identified and managed.
• Pupils feel safe and typically behave well, following clear routines.
• Bullying is rare and staff deal with it effectively when it happens.
• Pupils are caring, well mannered and take on responsibilities such as play leaders.
• Attendance is a high priority and pupils typically attend regularly.
• The curriculum is well designed and logically sequenced to prepare pupils for secondary school.
• Teaching has improved notably in mathematics and writing under the new leadership team.
• Reading teaching is well established and helps pupils become fluent, confident readers.
• SEND identification and support processes are well established and regularly checked.
• Disadvantaged pupils generally learn well and achieve in line with national averages in national tests.
• Personal development is well designed, including British values, healthy lifestyles, safety and relationships.
• Pupils benefit from enrichment, sport, educational visits and residential trips, with disadvantaged pupils given access.
• Governors have a clear vision and ethos, and leaders act in pupils' best interests.
• Staff are proud to work at the school and value the training they receive.
• Leaders check teaching quality and ensure improvements are made when practice is less effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement needs attention because outcomes in mathematics and writing are not consistently in line with national averages.
• Pupils are not fully prepared for secondary school in some areas of the curriculum.
• Writing remains less well developed, including handwriting, spelling, punctuation and grammar.
• Leadership and governance need attention.
• Governors do not receive sufficient information about provision beyond reading, writing and mathematics, limiting their ability to hold leaders to account.
• Governors are not fully in touch with staff and parents to understand their views.
• Leaders' communication with parents and carers is weak, especially for parents of pupils with SEND.
• Many parents of pupils with SEND are frustrated by provision and the impact of staffing turbulence.
• Leaders have not improved communication to build partnerships with parents.
• Some staff are unclear about changing roles and responsibilities and where to get support.
• Some staff do not know what to prioritise and feel obliged to undertake unreasonable amounts of work.
• Some disadvantaged pupils still need further help to attend regularly.
• Outcomes in writing show a disadvantaged gap below national non-disadvantaged peers over the latest three years.

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 Brackley Church of England Junior School attended 94.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.8% 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, 1.4% of pupils at Brackley Church of England Junior 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 Brackley Church of England Junior School had 18.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.4% 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, 9.8% of pupils at Brackley Church of England Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.8% 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 Brackley Church of England Junior School received £6,228 and spent £5,767 for each of its 225 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £96,000 (£427 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).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Brackley · West Northamptonshire local authority: places and applications

What is Brackley Church of England Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Brackley Church of England Junior School is Needs attention, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Brackley Church of England Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Brackley Church of England Junior School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Brackley Church of England Junior School have?

Brackley Church of England Junior School has 225 pupils on roll.

What age range does Brackley Church of England Junior School cover?

Brackley Church of England Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Brackley Church of England Junior School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 53% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Brackley Church of England Junior School?

Brackley Church of England Junior School is at Manor Road, Brackley, Northamptonshire, NN13 6EE.