Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School

Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School demonstrates a strong performance overall, with leaders and staff showing high expectations for all pupils while ensuring that those with barriers to learning receive the support they need. Pupils achieve well academically and across the wider curriculum, with particularly positive outcomes in reading and mathematics. Safeguarding standards are met, creating a safe learning environment where pupils feel valued and supported. The school is part of The Hawksmoor Learning Trust, benefiting from collaborative networks that further enhance its educational offerings.

Strengths

• Leaders have high expectations for all pupils.
• Pupils achieve well across the wider curriculum.
• Strong progress in reading and mathematics.
• Positive attendance rates significantly above national averages.
• Inclusive support for pupils with special educational needs.
• Engaging and well-structured early years curriculum.
• Effective pastoral support that promotes pupils' wellbeing.
• High-quality teaching with strong subject knowledge.

Areas for Improvement

• Disadvantaged pupils' performance in reading, writing, and mathematics needs to improve.

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 Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School attended 96.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.2% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Nicholas Hawksmoor 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 Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School had 21.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.3% 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, 9.1% of pupils at Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.7% 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 2024–25 Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School received £5,949 and spent £5,237 for each of its 421 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £874,000 (£2,077 per pupil).

Across all 4 schools of The Hawksmoor Learning Trust, income was £5,738 and spending £5,470 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 Towcester · West Northamptonshire local authority: places and applications

Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School is part of The Hawksmoor Learning Trust, which runs 4 schools. The nearest others:

• Marie Weller Primary School Towcester
• The Radstone Primary School Brackley
• Bracken Leas Primary School Brackley

What is Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School is Strong standard, from an inspection in April 2026.

When was Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School was last inspected in April 2026.

How many pupils does Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School have?

Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School has 429 pupils on roll.

What age range does Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School cover?

Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 79% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School?

Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School is at Balmoral Close, Towcester, Northamptonshire, NN12 6JA.