Ashby Fields Primary School

Ashby Fields Primary School is a happy, welcoming school where pupils feel safe and behave well. Inspectors found a culture of acceptance, rare bullying and confident, well-mannered pupils. Leadership has improved the school since its previous inspection, and the curriculum is ambitious and logically sequenced, with strong reading provision, a well-planned early years, effective SEND support and good personal development. Safeguarding is effective, and staff feel valued and supported by the trust. The school is now judged good across all key areas. Pupils achieve well academically and are well prepared for life in modern Britain, while a range of trips and clubs, including a popular school band, supports their wider development. The school is part of Inspire Multi Academy Trust and was previously graded requires improvement. There are still areas to strengthen. Some teachers do not present new information clearly enough or choose resources carefully enough, which can hinder learning, and work to ensure all teachers have the expertise to deliver the curriculum effectively is ongoing. The school also does not evaluate some support for vulnerable pupils well enough, including attendance support, so it cannot always tell what is working and target resources most effectively.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, feel safe and behave well.
• There is a culture of acceptance and respect for difference.
• Bullying is very rare and pupils are welcoming and friendly.
• The curriculum is ambitious, logically sequenced and closely follows the national curriculum.
• Reading is prioritised, with strong phonics and support for pupils who find reading difficult.
• Early years provision is well planned and gives children a good start in reading.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported well through curriculum adaptations.
• Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain through lessons on tolerance, respect and kindness.
• Leaders have improved the school since the previous inspection and have clear priorities.
• Staff feel valued, and trust support has helped the school improve.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers do not present information clearly enough in lessons.
• Curriculum resources are not always chosen carefully enough, which can hinder pupils' learning.
• Work to ensure all teachers have the knowledge and expertise to deliver the curriculum effectively is ongoing.
• The school does not evaluate the effectiveness of some support for vulnerable pupils well enough.
• The school does not fully understand what is working in its attendance support for vulnerable pupils, limiting how well it targets resources.

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 Ashby Fields Primary School attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.9% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Ashby Fields 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 Ashby Fields Primary School had 23.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 8.8% of pupils at Ashby Fields Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.3% 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 Ashby Fields Primary School received £5,895 and spent £5,835 for each of its 395 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £965,000 (£2,443 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Inmat, income was £6,569 and spending £6,333 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

Ashby Fields Primary School is part of Inmat, which runs 13 schools. The nearest others:

• Falconer's Hill Infant School Daventry
• St James Infant School Daventry
• The Abbey Primary School Northampton
• Kingsley Primary School Northampton
• Standens Barn Primary School Northampton
• Rothwell Victoria Infant School Kettering
• Rothwell Junior School Kettering
• Little Harrowden Community Primary School Wellingborough
• Hall Meadow Primary School Kettering
• Wollaston Primary School Wellingborough

What is Ashby Fields Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ashby Fields Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Ashby Fields Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ashby Fields Primary School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Ashby Fields Primary School have?

Ashby Fields Primary School has 397 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ashby Fields Primary School cover?

Ashby Fields Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Ashby Fields Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Ashby Fields Primary School?

Ashby Fields Primary School is at Wimborne Place, Ashby Fields, Daventry, Northamptonshire, NN11 0YP.