Northleigh CofE Primary School

Northleigh CofE Primary School, making its first inspection since becoming an academy in 2020, demonstrates good overall effectiveness across all assessed areas. The school has created a supportive and nurturing environment, where committed leaders and dedicated staff are fostering high aspirations for all pupils. Relationships within the school are characterized by care and respect, contributing to a positive atmosphere where bullying is not tolerated and students feel safe and supported. While the curriculum shows ambition, some areas are still developing, particularly in ensuring all subjects are equally embedded and that pupils achieve deep understanding, particularly in mathematics.

Strengths

• Leaders have high aspirations and expectations for all pupils.
• Effective relationships foster a caring and respectful school environment.
• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
• Reading is prioritized with passionate staff promoting a love of reading.
• Pupils are engaged in a broad curriculum with opportunities for responsibility.
• Systems for safeguarding are effective and leaders take responsibilities seriously.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects of the curriculum are not yet fully established.
• Teacher subject knowledge in mathematics is variable, impacting pupil understanding.

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 Northleigh CofE Primary School attended 96.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.0% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Northleigh CofE 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 Northleigh CofE Primary School had 20.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.4% 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, 14.4% of pupils at Northleigh CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.5% 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 Northleigh CofE Primary School received £7,336 and spent £6,812 for each of its 189 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £371,000 (£1,961 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Mercian Educational Trust, income was £8,043 and spending £8,242 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 Malvern · Worcestershire local authority: places and applications

Northleigh CofE Primary School is part of Mercian Educational Trust, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Somers Park Primary School Malvern
• Beacon View Primary School Malvern
• Great Malvern Primary School Malvern
• Leigh and Bransford Primary School Malvern
• Honeywell Primary School Worcester
• The Brookfield School Hereford

What is Northleigh CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Northleigh CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2023.

When was Northleigh CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Northleigh CofE Primary School was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does Northleigh CofE Primary School have?

Northleigh CofE Primary School has 202 pupils on roll.

What age range does Northleigh CofE Primary School cover?

Northleigh CofE Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Northleigh CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Northleigh CofE Primary School?

Northleigh CofE Primary School is at St. Peters Road, Cowleigh Bank, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR14 1QS.