John Hellins Primary School, Towcester

Outstanding
Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~1.4km)Possible (~2.0km)Unlikely (~2.6km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Jodie Matthews
Pupils:202 / 210 capacity
LA:West Northamptonshire
Phone:01908542405
Address:Brownswood Drive, Potterspury, Towcester, NN12 7PG
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Outstanding

Quality of Education

Outstanding

Behaviour & Attitudes

Outstanding

Personal Development

Outstanding

Leadership & Management

Good

Early Years

Inspected 1 April 2025View full report
URN:121851
UKPRN:10074809
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:South Northamptonshire
Urban/Rural:Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

This school fosters a genuine love of reading and achieves impressive academic results across all subjects. Teachers are skilled at spotting what children don't understand and helping them develop resilience and independence. Your child will benefit from warm relationships with staff, clear expectations about behaviour, and lots of enriching activities and special responsibilities that help them grow in confidence.

Key Strengths

  • Exceptional reading culture with expert phonics teaching and well-matched reading books for every child
  • Outstanding behaviour and attitudes - pupils consistently show empathy, respect, and mature commitment to learning
  • Strong teaching that engages pupils actively, checks understanding accurately, and helps them learn from mistakes
  • Excellent support for pupils with SEND through proactive identification and skilled curriculum adaptation
  • Rich enrichment activities and leadership opportunities that benefit all pupils, especially disadvantaged learners

Areas for Improvement

  • Early years curriculum - key learning is not always clearly defined, and resources and interactions do not consistently support children to apply and embed what they have learned

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school creates a positive culture that prioritises pupils' interests.

Extracurricular Activities

School library activities, clubs, 'grow a pound' project, caring for school rabbits, school librarian roles, Year 5 buddy roles with Reception children

John Hellins Primary School is an aspirational and inclusive school where pupils are happy, feel safe, and achieve exceptionally well academically and in their wider development. The school maintains outstanding standards across education quality, behaviour, attitudes, personal development, and leadership.

At a Glance

7.4%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

79 responses
Would recommend98%
Child is happy98%
Well taught98%
Good progress98%
Feels safe99%
Well behaved98%
Bullying dealt with18%
Kept informed96%
Handles concerns68%
Wider development96%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-7ppMaths-7ppWriting

Reading has declined from 100% to 93%. Maths has declined from 100% to 93%. Writing has remained stable at around 93%.

Class Sizes

28.7

Avg class size

27.3

Infant (KS1)

29.8

KS2

7

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Meadow View (adj)
87m · 1 min walk
Demand Responsive Area
241m · 4 min walk
Homestead Way (adj)
246m · 4 min walk
Oak View (opp)
348m · 6 min walk
Beech House Drive (adj)
418m · 7 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

96%

Near capacity

202 pupils

210 capacity

8 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Towcester

Low pressure
New homes approved:649
Projected new pupils:162

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Towcester

Admissions Demand - West Northamptonshire

Low demand0.76x oversubscription

Places available

5,771

Applications

4,413

Got 1st preference

94.5%

Got preferred school

99.0%

Primary admissions across West Northamptonshire (2025/26)

Inspection History(7)

1 April 2025
Quality of EducationOutstanding
Behaviour & AttitudesOutstanding
Personal DevelopmentOutstanding
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding
Early YearsGood
17 May 2022
18 October 2016
OutstandingReport
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding

House Prices

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

4.50954%

Overall absence

6.59341%

Persistent absence

182

Enrolments

Authorised3.68842%
Unauthorised0.82113%
Persistent (10%+)6.59341%
Severe (50%+)0.54945%

Absence trend

3.55344%
18/19
2.75876%
20/21
6.46899%
21/22
5.05876%
22/23
4.72562%
23/24
4.50954%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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