Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery

Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery has demonstrated outstanding performance across all areas, including the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This marked improvement highlights the school's commitment to excellence since its previous inspection, which rated it as good. Leaders have cultivated an environment that fosters high aspirations among staff and students, ensuring that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, receive the support they need to thrive academically and personally.

Strengths

• Leaders have established a culture of excellence with high aspirations for all pupils.
• Pupils leave school well-prepared for secondary education.
• Teaching methods are highly effective, inspiring and motivating all pupils.
• A strong emphasis is placed on developing reading skills across the curriculum.
• Early years provision is exceptional, providing children with a stimulating start to education.
• Strong support for pupils with SEND ensures they access the curriculum fully.
• A well-planned enrichment programme offers diverse opportunities for personal and cultural development.

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 Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.4% 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 Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery 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 Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery had 22.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.1% 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, 14.9% of pupils at Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.3% 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 Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery received £7,486 and spent £7,160 for each of its 329 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £257,000 (£781 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

Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery is part of The David Ross Education Trust, which runs 36 schools. The nearest others:

• Kings Heath Primary Academy Northampton
• Malcolm Arnold Academy Northampton
• Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School Northampton
• Cedar Road Primary School Northampton
• Eastfield Academy Northampton
• The Arbours Primary Academy Northampton
• Newnham Primary School Daventry
• Abbey CofE Academy Daventry
• Falconer's Hill Academy Daventry
• Welton Church of England Academy Daventry

What is Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery is Outstanding, from an inspection in January 2023.

When was Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery last inspected by Ofsted?

Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery was last inspected in January 2023.

How many pupils does Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery have?

Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery has 350 pupils on roll.

What age range does Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery cover?

Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery?

Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery is at Thorn Hill, Briar Hill, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN4 8SW.