The Arbours Primary Academy, Northampton
The Arbours Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Northampton, part of The David Ross Education Trust. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 17th-highest of the 99 schools in Northampton with published results, and 2,457th of 14,452 across England. It was 79% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- 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
The Arbours Primary Academy in detail
The Arbours Primary Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "David Ross Education Trust schools create a rich and exciting learning environment that inspires students to become their confident, academic best. Our outstanding school has over 390 children and we are continually improving and developing what we offer to our pupils as one of the best primaries in the area."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include swimming, ballet, choir and debating.
The school runs a breakfast club from 8:00am and after-school care, from £22 per day.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 92% of Year 6 pupils at The Arbours Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 83% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 75% in West Northamptonshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 83% in reading and 82% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at The Arbours Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 37 families put The Arbours Primary Academy as their first choice and 104 named it as one of their preferences, for 38 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at The Arbours Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to The Arbours Primary Academy are St Gregory's Catholic Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 80% reading, 73% maths); Headlands Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 70% reading, 69% maths); Lumbertubs Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 73% reading, 80% maths); and Boothville Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 66% reading, 76% maths).
The Arbours Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
St Gregory's Catholic Primary SchoolHeadlands Primary SchoolLumbertubs Primary SchoolBoothville Primary School
The trust
The Arbours Primary Academy is one of 36 schools run by The David Ross Education Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 72% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
41.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (28%), Black (20%) and Asian (18%).
In 2026, 28 pupils (8.4%) received SEN support and 4 (1.2%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Northampton Rail Station, about 3.1 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Northampton College (opposite), 150 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 353 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in West Northamptonshire (90), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
The Arbours Primary Academy recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to The Arbours Primary Academy are Weston Favell Academy (0.2 miles), Northampton Academy (0.6 miles), St Thomas Becket Catholic School (0.8 miles) and Northampton School for Girls (1.2 miles).
Weston Favell AcademyNorthampton AcademySt Thomas Becket Catholic SchoolNorthampton School for Girls
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); 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); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its July 2023 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
Rated Good for
Early years.
At a Glance
21.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 83% to 92% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 83% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 94% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.6
Avg class size
21.7
Infant (KS1)
29.0
KS2
13
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with The Arbours Primary Academy
Term dates
The Arbours Primary Academy is an academy, 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 The Arbours Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Arbours Primary Academy 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
- 31
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 11
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 31 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 6 serious and 24 slight.
11 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 9 in a vehicle or otherwise.
8 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 The Arbours Primary Academy
Will you get a place at The Arbours Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Arbours Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Arbours Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Arbours Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from West Northamptonshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Arbours Primary Academy for 2014 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
79%
Available places
330 pupils
420 places
90 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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
28
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
9.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
333
Total Pupils
174
Boys
159
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
16
Teachers
20.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,727
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,188
Per pupil
£2272k
Total funding
£108k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.8%
Overall absence
15.9%
Persistent absence
333
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
Questions parents ask about The Arbours Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at The Arbours Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at The Arbours Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 92% reached the expected standard in reading and 83% did so in maths.
What is The Arbours Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
The Arbours Primary Academy was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2014 it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for The Arbours Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When The Arbours Primary Academy 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 The Arbours Primary Academy?
The Arbours Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 79% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at The Arbours Primary Academy?
Classes at The Arbours Primary Academy average 25.6 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to The Arbours Primary Academy?
The Arbours Primary Academy has around 333 pupils on roll. 22% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Arbours Primary Academy?
4.8% of sessions were missed at The Arbours Primary Academy in 2024/25. 15.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Arbours Primary Academy?
Apply through West Northamptonshire's coordinated admissions process, naming The Arbours Primary Academy 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.
How many road collisions happen near The Arbours Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 31 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 6 serious and 24 slight. 11 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 9 in a vehicle or otherwise. 8 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 The Arbours Primary Academy?
The Arbours Primary Academy is at St Gregory's Road, The Arbours, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN3 3QF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)