Bishop Stopford School, Kettering

From the headteacher's welcome: "Bishop Stopford School is a vibrant, ethical place to learn. I am proud to lead an amazing staff team who commit to unlocking the unique potential of each young person entrusted to our care. We are the only Church of England secondary school in North Northamptonshire, and one of only three in the Diocese of Peterborough."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include choir, ukulele, STEM, Duke of Edinburgh and homework club.

Coming up: an open evening on Tuesday 17 November 2026 and an open day on Thursday 26 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at Bishop Stopford School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 62.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44.6 in North Northamptonshire and 47 across England.

73% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 41% in North Northamptonshire and 47% in England.

That is up from 58.7 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 1.02: pupils made well above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 54.4, against 63.5 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 9.1 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Spanish and Combined Science.

For September 2026 entry, 309 families put Bishop Stopford School as their first choice and 630 named it as one of their preferences, for 216 places offered. That is 1.4 first choices for every place. 99 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Bishop Stopford School are Southfield School for Girls (0.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.7); Kettering Science Academy (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 35.3); The Latimer Arts College (1.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.9); and Kettering Buccleuch Academy (1.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 51.4).

Bishop Stopford School's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.

264 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Bishop Stopford School (as of September 2025): 92% would recommend the school, 91% say their child is happy there and 67% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (94%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (67%).

Of the 217 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 95% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 17% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 189 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 69% went on to university or other higher education, 2% to apprenticeships and 21% into work. 32% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

6.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 10.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (54%), Asian (21%) and Black (13%).

In 2026, 105 pupils (7.2%) received SEN support and 23 (1.6%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.

The nearest railway station is Kettering Rail Station, about 920 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).

8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Bishop Stopford School (opposite), 120 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 226 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in North Northamptonshire (141), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Bishop Stopford School issued 89 suspensions, 6.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to Bishop Stopford School are Greenfields Primary School and Nursery (under 0.1 miles), Hawthorn Community Primary School (0.5 miles), Hall Meadow Primary School (0.7 miles) and St Edward's Catholic Primary School (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.