Blackthorn Primary School
Waingrove, Northampton, NN3 8EP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- NORTHAMPTON PRIMARY ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Ms Becca Williams
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Northampton Primary Academy Trust Partnership
- SEN provision
- SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
- Constituency
- Northampton South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 266
- Pupils on roll
- 236
- URN
- 146035
- Local authority
- West Northamptonshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01604407254
About this school
Blackthorn Primary School is a primary academy in Northampton. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 236 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 27 | 31 | 28 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 44% | 55% | 68% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 3% | 4% |
| Expected standard in reading | 52% | 74% | 79% |
| Expected standard in maths | 70% | 61% | 75% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 67% | 68% | 71% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 102.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.70 | - | - |
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 Blackthorn Primary 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 | 44% | 57.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 55% | 60.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 68% | 60.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 233 |
| 2023/24 | 243 |
| 2024/25 | 231 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Blackthorn Primary School compares
Blackthorn Primary School ranked 55th of 140 primary schools in West Northamptonshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 61% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 68% | 5.5% | 40.6% | 236 | — |
| Rectory Farm Primary School | 45% | 5.1% | 35.9% | 179 | 0.4 miles |
| Woodvale Primary Academy | 51% | 6.9% | 25.9% | 449 | 0.5 miles |
| Lings Primary School | 51% | 5.9% | 31.7% | 401 | 0.6 miles |
| Lumbertubs Primary School | 70% | 6.5% | 35.6% | 222 | 0.8 miles |
| St Andrew's Ceva Primary School | 60% | 5% | 26.8% | 281 | 0.9 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)
- 40.57%
- English as an additional language
- 49.4%
- Overall absence
- 5.51%
- Persistent absence
- 12.87%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Rectory Farm Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Northampton
-
Woodvale Primary Academy0.5 miles
Primary · Northampton
-
Lings Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Northampton
-
Lumbertubs Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Northampton
-
St Andrew's Ceva Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Northampton
Other schools in Northampton
Blackthorn Primary School ranks 43rd 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
- 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
- Buckton Fields Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Blackthorn Primary School teach?
- Blackthorn Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Northampton.
- Who is the headteacher of Blackthorn Primary School?
- The headteacher of Blackthorn Primary School is Ms Becca Williams, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Blackthorn Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Blackthorn Primary 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 big is Blackthorn Primary School?
- Blackthorn Primary School has 236 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Blackthorn Primary School full?
- Blackthorn Primary School has capacity for 266 pupils and 236 on roll (89%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Blackthorn Primary School a faith school?
- No. Blackthorn Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Blackthorn Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Blackthorn Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Blackthorn Primary School?
- Blackthorn Primary School is part of NORTHAMPTON PRIMARY ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Blackthorn Primary School have?
- The schools register lists Blackthorn Primary School's special educational needs provision as: SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Blackthorn Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 44% in 2022/23 and 68% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Blackthorn Primary School rank locally?
- Blackthorn Primary School ranked 55th of 140 primary schools in West Northamptonshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 61% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Blackthorn Primary School's absence rate?
- Blackthorn Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Blackthorn Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Blackthorn Primary 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 10 July 2026.