Northampton School for Boys

Northampton School for Boys is a highly successful secondary school where pupils achieve exceptionally well and are proud to attend. Inspectors found the curriculum to be ambitious, well sequenced and delivered expertly, with pupils producing work of very high quality and almost all moving on to ambitious destinations. Pupils with SEND are identified effectively and thrive alongside their peers, while reading, oracy and a wide range of enrichment activities are prioritised. Behaviour and attitudes are exemplary, attendance is excellent and pupils move around the school calmly and purposefully. The school’s personal development offer prepares pupils well for adulthood, including through a strong careers programme, extensive charity work, leadership opportunities and community links. Staff are well supported, leaders are visionary, and trustees and governors provide strong challenge while prioritising staff well-being. 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, when it was judged outstanding. The school is part of The NSB Trust and has a large co-educational sixth form. Under current arrangements, no overall effectiveness grade was awarded, but the school was judged outstanding in each key judgement and in sixth-form provision.

Strengths

• Ambitious and well-designed curriculum that builds on prior knowledge
• Pupils achieve exceptionally well and produce work of very high quality
• Pupils with SEND are identified effectively and supported to succeed
• Teachers are subject experts and address misconceptions promptly
• Strong prioritisation of reading and oracy, including personalised reading support
• Exemplary behaviour and excellent attendance
• Exceptional personal development and careers programme
• Astonishing range of enrichment, sports and expressive arts opportunities
• Strong community links and many leadership and charity opportunities
• Visionary leadership with committed trustees and governors
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

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 Northampton School for Boys attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 8.0% 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, 1.7% of pupils at Northampton School for Boys were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Northampton School for Boys had 18.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.3% 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, 11.7% of pupils at Northampton School for Boys were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.3% 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 Northampton School for Boys received £8,130 and spent £8,002 for each of its 1,713 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £479,000 (£280 per pupil).

Across all 2 schools of The Nsb Trust, income was £8,123 and spending £7,925 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

Northampton School for Boys is part of The Nsb Trust, which runs 2 schools. The nearest others:

• Northampton School Northampton

What is Northampton School for Boys's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Northampton School for Boys is Outstanding, from an inspection in April 2025.

When was Northampton School for Boys last inspected by Ofsted?

Northampton School for Boys was last inspected in April 2025.

How many pupils does Northampton School for Boys have?

Northampton School for Boys has 1,756 pupils on roll.

What age range does Northampton School for Boys cover?

Northampton School for Boys for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Northampton School for Boys's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 59.0, and 74% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Northampton School for Boys?

Northampton School for Boys is at Billing Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 5RT.