Barby Church of England Primary School

About Barby Church of England Primary School

Barby Church of England Primary School is a small village primary that parents clearly want to get into. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 26 applications for just 14 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.86. That means nearly two families applied for every spot, and all 13 first-preference applicants were offered a place. The school has a Good rating from Ofsted, which it has held across both its most recent graded and ungraded inspections. Its most recent graded inspection in 2011 rated overall effectiveness as Good, and a follow-up ungraded inspection in November 2022 confirmed the school remains Good. That consistency is a strong signal for parents. The school is led by headteacher Suman Bedi and serves 91 pupils aged 4 to 11, with a Church of England religious character. Around 14.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is slightly below the national average for primary schools.

Academically, Barby’s Key Stage 2 results for 2023/24 show a mixed picture. Just 31% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well below the West Northamptonshire local authority average of 63%. The school ranks 132nd out of 134 primary schools in the LA, placing it in the bottom 50 nationally. Looking at individual subjects, 44% reached the expected standard in reading, 63% in writing, and 56% in maths. The average scaled scores were 101 in reading and 100 in maths, both in line with the national average of 100. Very few pupils achieved the higher standard: 13% in reading, 6% in maths, and none in writing or the combined measure. Progress scores are not available, so it is difficult to say how much value the school adds, but the raw attainment figures are notably lower than those of nearby peers like Helmdon and Greatworth primary schools.

The school sits on a generous site with playing fields, a library, ICT suite, sensory room, music rooms, and a chapel. Sports include gymnastics, swimming, rounders, dance and cricket, and there are clubs for drama, book club, eco club and choir. The school has a broad range of SEND provisions, supporting pupils with specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, hearing impairment, multi-sensory impairment, and physical disability. With only 91 pupils against a capacity of 120, the school is not full, but the oversubscription data suggests it is popular locally. This is a school that will suit families who value a small, Church of England village setting and are comfortable with academic results that sit below the LA average. The strong parent demand and consistent Good Ofsted rating are reassuring, but the attainment data is worth weighing carefully.

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