Malcolm Arnold Academy

Malcolm Arnold Academy continues to perform well, maintaining a good standard of education. The school fosters a positive learning environment where pupils are respectful and engaged, aligning with the ethos of 'The Malcolm Arnold Way'. Notably, the school demonstrates a strong commitment to personal development and inclusivity, particularly for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The curriculum is ambitious, supported by knowledgeable teachers, though some inconsistencies in checking pupil understanding have been noted.

Strengths

• High expectations and ambition for all pupils
• Strong support systems for pupils with SEND
• Effective personal development programs
• Robust extracurricular activities
• Dedicated and knowledgeable teaching staff
• Safe and supportive school atmosphere

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent checks on pupil understanding in some subjects

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 Malcolm Arnold Academy attended 90.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 14.2% of pupils at Malcolm Arnold Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Malcolm Arnold Academy had 18.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 14.2% of pupils at Malcolm Arnold Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Malcolm Arnold Academy received £8,075 and spent £7,344 for each of its 1,307 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,549,000 (£1,185 per pupil).

Across all 36 schools of The David Ross Education Trust, income was £8,189 and spending £8,020 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

Malcolm Arnold Academy is part of The David Ross Education Trust, which runs 36 schools. The nearest others:

• Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School Northampton
• Cedar Road Primary School Northampton
• Eastfield Academy Northampton
• Kings Heath Primary Academy Northampton
• The Arbours Primary Academy Northampton
• Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery Northampton
• Welton Church of England Academy Daventry
• Newnham Primary School Daventry
• Abbey CofE Academy Daventry
• Greenfields Primary School and Nursery Kettering

What is Malcolm Arnold Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Malcolm Arnold Academy is Good, from an inspection in December 2023.

When was Malcolm Arnold Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Malcolm Arnold Academy was last inspected in December 2023.

How many pupils does Malcolm Arnold Academy have?

Malcolm Arnold Academy has 1,278 pupils on roll.

What age range does Malcolm Arnold Academy cover?

Malcolm Arnold Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Malcolm Arnold Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 44.4, and 45% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Malcolm Arnold Academy?

Malcolm Arnold Academy is at Trinity Avenue, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN2 6JW.