Kingsthorpe College, Northampton

From the headteacher's welcome: "Empowerment is central to everything we do to remove barriers, level the playing field and open up a world of opportunities for our brilliant students, staff and community. We work with our students to be ambitious in their goals and are passionate about helping them achieve artistic, athletic and academic excellence."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include Duke of Edinburgh and cadets.

In 2026, pupils at Kingsthorpe College averaged an Attainment 8 score of 43.5, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.3 in West Northamptonshire and 47 across England.

34% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 46% in West Northamptonshire and 47% in England.

That is up from 39.6 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.26: pupils made below 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 29.1, against 47.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 18.5 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Statistics, History and Combined Science.

For September 2026 entry, 175 families put Kingsthorpe College as their first choice and 376 named it as one of their preferences, for 235 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Kingsthorpe College are Northampton School for Girls (0.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 59.2); St Thomas Becket Catholic School (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 41.5); Malcolm Arnold Academy (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.4); and Moulton School and Science College (1.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.6).

Kingsthorpe College's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.

Kingsthorpe College is one of 3 schools run by Orbis Education Trust, an academy trust.

139 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Kingsthorpe College (as of September 2025): 57% would recommend the school, 63% say their child is happy there and 47% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (66%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (47%).

Of the 245 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 85% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 58% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.

Of the 88 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 58% went on to university or other higher education, 7% to apprenticeships and 25% into work. 9% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

28.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (52%), Black (12%) and Mixed (9%).

In 2026, 149 pupils (10.5%) received SEN support and 29 (2%) 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.

The nearest railway station is Northampton Rail Station, about 2.5 miles away in a straight line.

12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Kingsthorpe College (outside), 200 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 225 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 West Northamptonshire (90), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Kingsthorpe College issued 463 suspensions, 33.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 4 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Kingsthorpe College are All Saints CofE VA Primary School (0.3 miles), Sunnyside Primary Academy (0.4 miles), Green Oaks Primary Academy (0.4 miles) and Parklands Primary School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.