Hardingstone Academy

Hardingstone Academy continues to demonstrate a strong performance, maintaining its status as a good school since its last inspection. Pupils are happy and enjoy a supportive learning environment where they feel welcomed and included. The leadership team prioritizes reading and ensures that all pupils have access to quality educational opportunities, fostering a love for learning and encouraging curiosity among students. While the school excels in promoting positive behaviors, inclusivity, and academic progress, there are identified areas that require enhancement, particularly in the support provided for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Strengths

• Pupils are happy and enjoy a supportive and inclusive school environment.
• Leaders prioritize reading and employ effective strategies to promote literacy.
• Pupils respect their peers and engage positively with school values.
• Strong collaborative efforts with East Midlands Academy Trust to enhance curriculum delivery.
• Good subject knowledge among teachers facilitates effective instruction.
• A well-sequenced curriculum in mathematics that supports student progress.

Areas for Improvement

• New subject leaders are still developing their leadership skills.
• Inconsistent support for some pupils with SEND, leading to unoptimized academic progress.

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 Hardingstone Academy attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.7% 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, 3.6% of pupils at Hardingstone 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 Hardingstone Academy had 18.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 25.5% 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, 14.8% of pupils at Hardingstone Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.0% 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 Hardingstone Academy received £6,738 and spent £7,323 for each of its 249 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £102,000 (£412 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of East Midlands Academy Trust, income was £7,645 and spending £7,616 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

Hardingstone Academy is part of East Midlands Academy Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Castle Academy Northampton
• Stimpson Avenue Academy Northampton
• Northampton International Academy Northampton
• Shepherdswell Academy Milton Keynes
• Orchard Academy Milton Keynes
• Naseby Church of England Primary Academy Northampton
• Culworth Church of England Primary Academy Banbury
• Boddington Church of England Primary Academy Daventry
• Chacombe CEVA Primary Academy Banbury
• Wilbarston Church of England Primary School Market Harborough

What is Hardingstone Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hardingstone Academy is Good, from an inspection in May 2023.

When was Hardingstone Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Hardingstone Academy was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does Hardingstone Academy have?

Hardingstone Academy has 230 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hardingstone Academy cover?

Hardingstone Academy for pupils aged 0 to 11.

What are Hardingstone Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Hardingstone Academy?

Hardingstone Academy is at Martins Lane, Hardingstone, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN4 6DJ.