Northgate Primary School

Northgate Primary is a newly inspected primary school that has shown good overall effectiveness in its educational provision. The school demonstrates notable strengths in fostering outstanding behaviour and attitudes among pupils, who display a deep enthusiasm for learning and excel particularly in reading and mathematics. The supportive environment and engaging curriculum have succeeded in developing well-rounded individuals ready for modern challenges. With focused leadership from its headteacher and a committed board of trustees, the school is on a positive trajectory following its transition to an academy status in 2020, despite having a longer-than-usual gap between inspections due to prior exemptions.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate a thirst for learning and achieve well in reading and mathematics.
• The school cultivates outstanding behaviour and attitudes among its pupils.
• Strong focus on language development begins in the early years.
• Curriculum is ambitious, broad, and meaningfully linked to the local area.
• Positive attitudes to school life and a respectful culture are evident among pupils.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Leadership is high in expectations and supports school improvement.

Areas for Improvement

• A small number of subjects have curriculums in a transitional or early stage of development, impacting pupil learning.

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 Northgate Primary School attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.8% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Northgate 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 Northgate Primary School had 24.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.4% 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, 11.9% of pupils at Northgate Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.5% 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 Northgate Primary School received £6,073 and spent £6,002 for each of its 437 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £289,000 (£662 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 Bishop'S Stortford · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Northgate Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Northgate Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2024.

When was Northgate Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Northgate Primary School was last inspected in January 2024.

How many pupils does Northgate Primary School have?

Northgate Primary School has 455 pupils on roll.

What age range does Northgate Primary School cover?

Northgate Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 82% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Northgate Primary School?

Northgate Primary School is at Cricketfield Lane, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM23 2RL.