Abbey CofE Academy

Abbey CofE Academy continues to perform well as a good school, providing a safe and supportive environment for its pupils. With a curriculum that is ambitious and well-sequenced, the school effectively adapts learning for all students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. Positive and caring relationships between staff and pupils foster a respectful atmosphere where learners thrive and feel proud of their school. The academy benefits from being part of The David Ross Education Trust, enhancing its opportunities and resources through collaboration with other schools in the trust. Despite its strengths, there are areas for improvement, particularly in communication and language. Staff sometimes overlook errors in pupils' spoken and written English, leading to repeated mistakes. Additionally, the school needs to strengthen its approach to revisiting prior learning, as some pupils struggle to recall vital knowledge from previous years, hindering their overall understanding. Overall, Abbey CofE Academy has a solid foundation but must address these concerns to elevate its educational outcomes further.

Strengths

• Positive and caring relationships between staff and pupils
• Ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum
• Effective adaptation of learning for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
• High levels of pupil attendance
• Strong personal development and extracurricular opportunities
• Pupils enjoy reading and have access to diverse texts

Areas for Improvement

• Staff do not consistently address errors in pupils' spoken and written English
• Lack of focus on revisiting prior learning from previous years

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 Abbey CofE Academy attended 96.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.2% 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, 0.6% of pupils at Abbey CofE Academy 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 Abbey CofE Academy had 26.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.5% 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, 16.3% of pupils at Abbey CofE Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.7% 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 Abbey CofE Academy received £6,582 and spent £6,807 for each of its 169 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £39,000 (£230 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 Daventry · West Northamptonshire local authority: places and applications

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

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

What is Abbey CofE Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Abbey CofE Academy is Good, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was Abbey CofE Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Abbey CofE Academy was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does Abbey CofE Academy have?

Abbey CofE Academy has 184 pupils on roll.

What age range does Abbey CofE Academy cover?

Abbey CofE Academy for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Abbey CofE Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 56% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Abbey CofE Academy?

Abbey CofE Academy is at Vicar Lane, Daventry, Northamptonshire, NN11 4GD.