Priors Hall - A Learning Community

Priors Hall - A Learning Community is a primary academy that has been judged good for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management, with outstanding personal development and early years provision. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first inspection under section 5, although its predecessor school had been judged to require improvement. The school is part of the Inspiring Futures Through Learning multi-academy trust and is led by headteacher Tess McQuade, who took up the role in December 2020. The report describes a school with high expectations, warm relationships and a strong inclusive ethos. Pupils feel safe, happy and valued, attend well and behave well, and they benefit from high-quality pastoral support. The curriculum is well organised and has a sharp focus on vocabulary and language development, which helps disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND and pupils who speak English as an additional language achieve well. Reading is a particular strength, and the early years provision is described as remarkable, with first-rate adult-led conversations and expertly crafted learning activities. Personal development is exceptional, with pupils gaining a strong understanding of health, diversity, equality and the school’s core values. Leadership is effective, staff feel valued and trusted, and governors and the trust provide appropriate challenge and support. The main areas for improvement are that in some subjects teachers do not always provide work that allows pupils to master the most ambitious curriculum content, and some pupils do not remember prior learning well enough because important knowledge is not routinely revisited.

Strengths

• High expectations are embodied in the motto ‘ready for learning, ready for life’.
• Early years provision is outstanding, with first-rate adult-led conversations and expertly crafted activities.
• Personal development provision is exceptional and helps pupils become well-rounded, healthy and respectful citizens.
• Reading is a passion, with expert phonics teaching and prompt support for pupils who fall behind.
• The curriculum is well organised and has a strong focus on vocabulary and language development.
• Disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND and pupils who speak English as an additional language achieve well.
• Pupils feel safe, happy and valued, and they behave well in class and during social times.
• Pupils attend well and the school intervenes early when attendance becomes a concern.
• High-quality pastoral support is available, including access to ‘The Spot’ for well-being help.
• Leadership is effective, staff feel valued and trusted, and governance provides appropriate challenge and support.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, teachers do not always provide work that allows pupils to master the most ambitious curriculum content, so some pupils do not achieve as highly as they could.
• In some subjects, some pupils do not remember prior learning well enough because important knowledge is not routinely revisited, preventing them from building on prior learning and deepening their understanding over time.

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 Priors Hall - A Learning Community attended 96.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.7% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Priors Hall - A Learning Community 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 Priors Hall - A Learning Community had 27.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.6% 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, 12.1% of pupils at Priors Hall - A Learning Community were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.8% 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 Priors Hall - A Learning Community received £6,368 and spent £6,074 for each of its 482 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £286,000 (£593 per pupil).

Across all 20 schools of Inspiring Futures Through Learning, income was £6,729 and spending £6,481 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 Corby · North Northamptonshire local authority: places and applications

Priors Hall - A Learning Community is part of Inspiring Futures Through Learning, which runs 22 schools. The nearest others:

• Exeter A Learning Community Academy Corby
• Woodnewton- A Learning Community Corby
• Lavendon School Olney
• Olney Middle School Olney
• Olney Infant Academy Olney
• Portfields Primary School Newport Pagnell
• Brooklands Farm Primary School Milton Keynes
• St Mary and St Giles Church of England School Milton Keynes
• St Mary's Wavendon CofE Primary Milton Keynes
• Glebe Farm School Milton Keynes

What is Priors Hall - A Learning Community's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Priors Hall - A Learning Community is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Priors Hall - A Learning Community last inspected by Ofsted?

Priors Hall - A Learning Community was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Priors Hall - A Learning Community have?

Priors Hall - A Learning Community has 478 pupils on roll.

What age range does Priors Hall - A Learning Community cover?

Priors Hall - A Learning Community for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Priors Hall - A Learning Community's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Priors Hall - A Learning Community?

Priors Hall - A Learning Community is at Gretton Road, Priors Hall, Priors Hall Park, Corby, Northamptonshire, NN17 5EB.