Northern House Academy, Oxford
Northern House Academy is a special school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Oxford, part of The Gallery Trust. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2024.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2024)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Northern House Academy in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Northern House Academy are Woodeaton Manor School (2.6 miles); The Iffley Academy (3.4 miles, Outstanding); Endeavour Academy, Oxford (3.6 miles, Good); and LVS Oxford (3.8 miles).
Woodeaton Manor SchoolThe Iffley AcademyEndeavour Academy, OxfordLVS Oxford
The trust
Northern House Academy is one of 7 schools run by The Gallery Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
47.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 2.2% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (84%) and Mixed (9%).
Almost every pupil at Northern House Academy has an education, health and care plan (93 of 93 in 2026). The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Northern House Academy has a resourced provision for autism and social, emotional and mental health needs: 86 places, 87 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Oxford Rail Station, about 1.7 miles away in a straight line.
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is South Parade west (opposite), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Northern House Academy stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
Northern House Academy recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Northern House Academy is described by parents as 'life changing' for their children. From the moment pupils start here, they are enveloped into a warm, inclusive culture and quickly develop a sense of belonging. They are truly understood and accepted into the life of the school. They are encouraged to be authentically themselves. One pupil's view was that staff 'really care about me, in their hearts'. As a result, pupils feel safe and happy, and they flourish.
The atmosphere around school is inescapably positive. The staff know pupils exceptionally well and set high expectations. Pupils rise to these, and proactively engage in their learning with high levels of concentration.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
On joining the trust, the school embarked on a journey of rapid improvement. New leadership worked effectively with the staff team to swiftly raise standards and implement a highly ambitious curriculum. Academic subjects are meticulously organised and so pupils make excellent progress. Lessons are expertly delivered, through engaging, purposeful, and often 'hands-on', activities. This is enriched with pupils' individualised SEMH targets, which are embedded into their learning, and these link to their education, health and care (EHC) plan outcomes. Alongside staff, pupils review and set their own weekly targets. They carefully track progress towards these goals on their own 'pupil passports' throughout the week, earning reward points as they go. This precise balance between academic learning and personal development means that pupils gain the knowledge, skills and cultural capital that they need for their future success.
The school's values of happiness, high expectations, nurture, consistency, understanding and positivity are undeniably present in every aspect of school life. All decision-making is based on these. Pupils understand these, and they reflect on how they live them out through their lessons and assemblies.
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 Outstanding at its June 2024 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
At a Glance
47.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Autism, SEMH
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 6% (2024 to 2025).
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Northern House Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Northern House Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Northern House Academy is in Oxfordshire; for families living there:
- Oxfordshire's school travel policy: Free home to school travel assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 41
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 11
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 41 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 11 serious and 30 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on a bicycle.
14 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 Oxfordshire is 5 (the median across 369 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
108%
Over capacity
93 pupils
86 places
7 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Oxford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Oxford
Across Oxfordshire council
Places available
7,654
Applications
6,814
Got 1st preference
85.4%
Got preferred school
96.3%
All secondary applications across Oxfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
93
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Northern House Academy has a resourced provision for autism and social, emotional and mental health needs: 86 places, 87 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
93
Total Pupils
80
Boys
13
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
6.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£56,505
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.1%
Overall absence
23.3%
Persistent absence
90
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Linked Schools
Schools linked by geographic proximity
Northern House Academy
Questions parents ask about Northern House Academy
What are SATs results like at Northern House Academy?
Of the pupils at Northern House Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 6% reached the expected standard in reading and 0% did so in maths.
What is Northern House Academy's Ofsted rating?
Northern House Academy was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024.
What is the catchment area for Northern House Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Northern House Academy is oversubscribed, Oxfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Northern House Academy?
Northern House Academy has around 93 pupils on roll. 47% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Northern House Academy have specialist SEN provision?
Northern House Academy has a resourced provision for autism and social, emotional and mental health needs: 86 places, 87 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Northern House Academy?
9.1% of sessions were missed at Northern House Academy in 2024/25. 23.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Northern House Academy?
Apply through Oxfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Northern House Academy on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Northern House Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 41 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 11 serious and 30 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on a bicycle. 14 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 Oxfordshire is 5 (the median across 369 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Northern House Academy?
Northern House Academy is at South Parade, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX2 7JN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)