Isham Church of England Primary School

Isham Church of England Primary School is a small Anglican primary academy within the Peterborough Diocese Education Trust. This was its first section 5 inspection since becoming an academy, and a new headteacher joined in September 2024. Inspectors found the school to be good in quality of education, leadership and management, and early years provision, with behaviour and attitudes and personal development judged outstanding. Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, feel safe and are highly motivated to learn.
• Behaviour and attitudes are exceptional across the school, including in early years.
• Pupils treat one another and adults with high levels of respect and courtesy.
• Staff have high expectations, including for pupils with SEND, and pupils achieve well.
• The curriculum is ambitious, carefully designed and logically sequenced.
• Reading is a priority, with structured daily phonics and engaging texts.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and access the full curriculum with effective support.
• Early years provision offers well-planned play and strong personal, social and emotional development.
• Pupils benefit from a rich personal development programme, including music, sport, visits and debates.
• Governors and trust members understand the school well and hold leaders to account effectively.
• Staff feel leaders consider their workload and well-being.

Areas for Improvement

• The curriculum for developing pupils’ knowledge and understanding of different faiths and beliefs is not working as well as it should.
• Pupils struggle to appreciate the differences between cultural and religious communities.
• Pupils’ knowledge and understanding of some major faiths are not secure.

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 Isham Church of England Primary School attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.6% 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 Isham Church of England 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 Isham Church of England Primary School had 21.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.4% 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, 3.9% of pupils at Isham Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.9% 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 Isham Church of England Primary School received £7,130 and spent £7,207 for each of its 97 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £103,000 (£1,063 per pupil).

Across all 36 schools of Peterborough Diocese Education Trust, income was £6,820 and spending £6,815 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 Kettering · North Northamptonshire local authority: places and applications

Isham Church of England Primary School is part of Peterborough Diocese Education Trust, which runs 36 schools. The nearest others:

• St. Marys CofE Primary School Kettering
• Pytchley Endowed Church of England Primary School Kettering
• The Glenvale Church of England Primary School Wellingborough
• Cranford CofE Primary School Kettering
• St Andrew's Church of England Primary School Kettering
• Freemans Endowed Church of England Junior Academy Wellingborough
• St Barnabas Church of England School Wellingborough
• Great Addington CofE Primary School Kettering
• Loddington CofE (VA) Primary School Kettering
• Mears Ashby Church of England Primary School Northampton

What is Isham Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Isham Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Isham Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Isham Church of England Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Isham Church of England Primary School have?

Isham Church of England Primary School has 103 pupils on roll.

What age range does Isham Church of England Primary School cover?

Isham Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Isham Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 43% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Isham Church of England Primary School?

Isham Church of England Primary School is at Church Street, Isham, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN14 1HD.