Buckton Fields Primary School, Northampton
Buckton Fields Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Northampton, part of Preston Hedges Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2024. It was 52% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to West Northamptonshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Buckton Fields Primary School in detail
Buckton Fields Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "The school remains on track to be ready by Christmas 2026, with the nursery opening provisionally pencilled in for September 2027. When Buckton Fields Primary School reopens , we will be launching our first nursery provision, offering places for children aged two and above further details to follow."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Buckton Fields Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 69 families put Buckton Fields Primary School as their first choice and 142 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 10 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Buckton Fields Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Buckton Fields Primary School are Whitehills Primary School (0.3 miles, Outstanding, 72% reading, 80% maths); Boughton Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 86% reading, 89% maths); Sunnyside Primary Academy (0.8 miles, Good, 74% reading, 72% maths); and All Saints CofE VA Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 75% reading, 66% maths).
Whitehills Primary SchoolBoughton Primary SchoolSunnyside Primary AcademyAll Saints CofE VA Primary School
The trust
Buckton Fields Primary School is one of 6 schools run by Preston Hedges Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 84% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
6.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 12.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (65%), Mixed (9%) and Black (9%).
In 2026, 21 pupils (7.3%) received SEN support and 1 (0.3%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Northampton Rail Station, about 2.9 miles away in a straight line.
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Primary School (opposite), 50 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
Buckton Fields Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
In a relatively short time, since opening in 2021, this school has firmly established a caring and inclusive culture. Pupils feel safe in the school. They enjoy very positive relationships with each other and their staff. Classrooms are calm and orderly. At playtimes, pupils play together happily. They are kind, polite, and respectful. Incidents of poor behaviour are exceptionally rare.
The school's aspiration is to provide a curriculum based on 'fun, creativity and achievement'. Staff have very high expectations for what all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), can achieve. Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning. They work hard and achieve well.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has developed a broad and ambitious curriculum, which begins in the early years. Children in Reception are exposed to a wide range of vocabulary. There are well-planned opportunities for them to develop physical and social skills. As the school has grown year on year, staff have planned precisely what pupils should learn across the full range of National Curriculum subjects. Important knowledge is sequenced well, in small steps, so that pupils' gain a depth of understanding as they progress.
The school places a high priority on reading. In Reception and Year 1, phonics lessons provide pupils with the knowledge they need to become increasingly confident readers. Those who struggle with reading benefit from effective extra support. Pupils are exposed to increasingly challenging texts as they develop as readers. They learn to appreciate and analyse different styles and genres. Staff read to pupils often. They choose rhymes and stories carefully to excite and interest pupils to promote a love of reading. Pupils read often from books that are well matched to their stage of reading. They enjoy reading and the rewards they can earn for doing so.
From Ofsted's June 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its June 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
6.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
28.9
Avg class size
29.0
Infant (KS1)
28.8
KS2
10
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Buckton Fields Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Buckton Fields Primary School.
- Jack in the box 2022510m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Buckton Fields Primary School is a free school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see West Northamptonshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Buckton Fields Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Buckton Fields Primary School is in West Northamptonshire; for families living there:
- West Northamptonshire's school travel policy: Free school travel assistance (4-to-16 year olds)
- How to apply: Apply for free school travel assistance (4-to-16 year olds)
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 9
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 1 serious and 7 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in West Northamptonshire is 7 (the median across 208 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Buckton Fields Primary School
Will you get a place at Buckton Fields Primary School? Get the admissions report
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What the report includes for Buckton Fields Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Buckton Fields Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from West Northamptonshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Buckton Fields Primary School for 2022 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in West Northamptonshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
52%
Available places
220 pupils
420 places
200 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Northampton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Northampton
Across West Northamptonshire council
Places available
5,708
Applications
4,335
Got 1st preference
94.6%
Got preferred school
99.5%
All primary applications across West Northamptonshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
21
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
7.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
289
Total Pupils
148
Boys
141
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
24.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£44,488
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,955
Per pupil
£1545k
Total funding
£17k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.5%
Overall absence
9.7%
Persistent absence
175
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Buckton Fields Primary School
Questions parents ask about Buckton Fields Primary School
What is Buckton Fields Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Buckton Fields Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024.
What is the catchment area for Buckton Fields Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Buckton Fields Primary School is oversubscribed, West Northamptonshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Buckton Fields Primary School?
Buckton Fields Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 52% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Buckton Fields Primary School?
Classes at Buckton Fields Primary School average 28.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Buckton Fields Primary School?
Buckton Fields Primary School has around 289 pupils on roll. 6% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Buckton Fields Primary School?
4.5% of sessions were missed at Buckton Fields Primary School in 2024/25. 9.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Buckton Fields Primary School?
Apply through West Northamptonshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Buckton Fields Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Buckton Fields Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Buckton Fields Primary School: Jack in the box 2022 (510m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Buckton Fields Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 1 serious and 7 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in West Northamptonshire is 7 (the median across 208 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Buckton Fields Primary School?
Buckton Fields Primary School is at Home Farm Drive, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN2 8ES.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)