Whittlebury Church of England Primary School

Whittlebury Church of England Primary School maintains its status as a good school, characterized by a supportive and welcoming atmosphere. Pupils express a strong sense of belonging, describing the school as a big family where they feel motivated to learn and behave well. The leadership team is committed to fostering a nurturing environment, promoting curiosity and creativity, and firmly embedding Christian values in the school culture. The overall effectiveness of the school is anchored in robust leadership and a well-planned curriculum, particularly in subjects like reading, where a systematic phonics program is in place. Despite its strengths, the school faces challenges in ensuring that all subjects are fully planned and sequenced, which leads to inconsistencies in pupil retention of curriculum content. Assessments in the early years need to become more granular to effectively monitor children's progression on a termly basis. Addressing these areas for improvement will help the school to refine its educational offerings and further boost student achievement.

Strengths

• Pupils feel well cared for and describe the school as a big family.
• Effective phonics programme promotes early reading fluency.
• Leaders have a clear vision and good capacity for continued improvement.
• High levels of pupil respect and exemplary behavior.
• Strong support for pupils with SEND through personalized plans.
• The curriculum encourages autonomy and responsibility in learning.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects are not fully planned and sequenced, affecting knowledge retention.
• Reading curriculum lacks incremental building on knowledge and skills.
• Early years assessments do not closely track termly milestones.

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 Whittlebury Church of England Primary School attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.4% 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 Whittlebury Church of England 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 Whittlebury Church of England Primary School had 20.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.8% 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, 15.5% of pupils at Whittlebury Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.8% 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 Whittlebury Church of England Primary School received £8,828 and spent £9,770 for each of its 71 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £75,000 (£1,060 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 Towcester · West Northamptonshire local authority: places and applications

What is Whittlebury Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Whittlebury Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in February 2023.

When was Whittlebury Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Whittlebury Church of England Primary School was last inspected in February 2023.

How many pupils does Whittlebury Church of England Primary School have?

Whittlebury Church of England Primary School has 71 pupils on roll.

What age range does Whittlebury Church of England Primary School cover?

Whittlebury Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

Where is Whittlebury Church of England Primary School?

Whittlebury Church of England Primary School is at High Street, Whittlebury, Towcester, Northamptonshire, NN12 8XH.