Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School
Trinity Avenue, Northampton, NN2 6JW
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- THE DAVID ROSS EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Tracey Hudson
- Religious ethos
- None
- Sponsor
- The David Ross Education Trust
- Constituency
- Northampton North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 401
- URN
- 140946
- Local authority
- West Northamptonshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01604931130
About this school
Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School is a Church of England primary academy in Northampton. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 401 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 28 June 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 60 | 57 | 57 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 55% | 74% | 75% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 3% | 19% | 18% |
| Expected standard in reading | 77% | 81% | 81% |
| Expected standard in maths | 58% | 86% | 79% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 73% | 74% | 70% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 106.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 101.0 | 106.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -5.50 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | West Northamptonshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 55% | 57.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 74% | 60.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 75% | 60.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 417 |
| 2023/24 | 409 |
| 2024/25 | 413 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School compares
Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School ranked 26th of 140 primary schools in West Northamptonshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 78% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 69% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 75% | 4.6% | 14.5% | 401 | — |
| Kingsthorpe Grove Primary School | 42% | 5.6% | 32.1% | 471 | 0.4 miles |
| The Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School | 57% | 3.8% | 20.1% | 282 | 0.5 miles |
| Kingsley Primary School | 51% | 5.9% | 27.1% | 401 | 0.7 miles |
| Green Oaks Primary Academy | 53% | 6.4% | 27.6% | 220 | 0.8 miles |
| Kingsthorpe Village Primary School | 53% | 4.9% | 7.7% | 202 | 0.8 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 14.53%
- English as an additional language
- 35.8%
- Overall absence
- 4.62%
- Persistent absence
- 12.9%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Kingsthorpe Grove Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Northampton
-
The Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Northampton
-
Kingsley Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Northampton
-
Green Oaks Primary Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Northampton
-
Kingsthorpe Village Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Northampton
Other schools in Northampton
Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School ranks 19th of the 99 ranked primary schools in Northampton.
- Abington Vale Primary School Primary
- All Saints CofE VA Primary School Primary
- Ashton CofE Primary School Primary
- Barry Primary School Primary
- Blackthorn Primary School Primary
- Blisworth Community Primary School Primary
- Boothville Primary School Primary
- Boughton Primary School Primary
- Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery Primary
- Bridgewater Primary School Primary
- Brington Primary School Primary
- Brixworth CofE VC Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School teach?
- Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Northampton.
- Who is the headteacher of Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School?
- The headteacher of Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School is Mrs Tracey Hudson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School?
- Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School has 401 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School full?
- Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School has capacity for 420 pupils and 401 on roll (95%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School a faith school?
- Yes. Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School is designated Church of England.
- Does Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School part of an academy trust?
- Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School is part of THE DAVID ROSS EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 55% in 2022/23 and 75% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School compare with other schools in West Northamptonshire?
- Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School ranked 26th of 140 primary schools in West Northamptonshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 78% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 69% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School's absence rate?
- Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School's overall absence rate is 4.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.