Northampton International Academy

Northampton International Academy has improved rapidly under strong and determined leadership since its previous inspection. Pupils are polite, respectful and well behaved, classrooms are calm, and there is a strong sense of community across a diverse pupil body. Pastoral care is a notable strength, and pupils feel safe and well supported, including with their mental health. The school also supports pupils' wider personal development well through a rich careers programme, enrichment opportunities and pupil leadership committees. The curriculum has been developed across the early years, primary, secondary and sixth form, with clear knowledge identified and an ambitious offer that includes the full range of English Baccalaureate subjects at key stage 4. Reading is a strength: phonics begins early, activities and books are well matched to pupils' stages, and support for pupils who fall behind is effective. The sixth form has been relaunched at a new site and offers personalised pathways with expert teaching. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified quickly and receive strong support, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. However, the quality of education requires improvement because the curriculum is not delivered consistently well. Teachers do not routinely check what pupils already know or whether they have understood new content, and misconceptions are not always identified or resolved. Some staff do not adapt teaching well enough for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, so not all pupils learn the curriculum as intended. As a result, pupils do not yet achieve as well as they should.

Strengths

• Strong and determined leadership has driven rapid improvement since the previous inspection.
• Pupils' behaviour and attitudes are good, with calm classrooms and polite, respectful pupils.
• There is a strong sense of community and diversity is celebrated across the school.
• Pupil leadership committees help create a culture in which pupils feel represented.
• Caring staff provide excellent pastoral support, including for pupils' mental health.
• The curriculum is ambitious and spans early years through to the sixth form.
• Reading is well taught, with early phonics and effective support for pupils who fall behind.
• Early years activities are carefully matched to children's interests and routines.
• Personal development is well supported through PSHE, careers and wider enrichment opportunities.
• The relaunched sixth form offers personalised pathways and expert teaching.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and receive strong support.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Staff enjoy working at the school and value professional development opportunities.

Areas for Improvement

• The quality of education requires improvement because the curriculum is not delivered consistently well.
• Teachers do not consistently check pupils' prior knowledge or whether new concepts have been understood.
• Gaps in pupils' knowledge and misconceptions are not always identified or resolved effectively.
• Staff do not routinely adapt teaching to meet the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language.
• Teaching is not always structured well enough to help pupils understand new information.
• Some learning activities do not help pupils secure their knowledge, and pupils are not always challenged to think deeply.
• Feedback and guidance to help pupils improve are not always useful.
• Not all pupils achieve as well as they should across the curriculum.

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 Northampton International Academy attended 91.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 25.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 7.2% of pupils at Northampton International Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 4 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 Northampton International Academy had 17.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 14.3% of pupils at Northampton International Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Northampton International Academy received £8,698 and spent £7,886 for each of its 1,813 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £360,000 (£198 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

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

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

What is Northampton International Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Northampton International Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Northampton International Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Northampton International Academy was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Northampton International Academy have?

Northampton International Academy has 1,754 pupils on roll.

What age range does Northampton International Academy cover?

Northampton International Academy for pupils aged 4 to 18.

What are Northampton International Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 38.9, and 29% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

What are Northampton International Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 51% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Northampton International Academy?

Northampton International Academy is at Barrack Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1AA.