Cottingham Church of England Primary School

About Cottingham Church of England Primary School

Cottingham Church of England Primary School sits comfortably above the local authority average for its key stage 2 headline measure. While the average proportion of pupils in North Northamptonshire reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined sits at 61%, Cottingham achieves 68%. That seven-point gap places the school 27th out of 111 primary schools in the authority, putting it in the top third locally. It also ranks within the top 50% nationally, at the 37th percentile. The school’s ranking score of 68 reflects solid, above-average performance for a village primary of its size. With just 149 pupils against a capacity of 150, Cottingham is operating almost exactly at capacity, which suggests it is a popular choice among local families. The school is oversubscribed: for 18 places in the 2025/26 intake, it received 47 applications, with 15 of those coming as first preferences. That works out at 2.61 applications per place, a clear sign of demand.

Digging into the detail of the 2023/24 key stage 2 results, Cottingham’s strengths are broadly spread. In reading, 79% of pupils reached the expected standard, with 21% working at a higher level. Maths tells a similar story: 79% at expected and 32% at the higher standard. Writing also saw 79% at expected, though only 11% reached greater depth. The combined expected figure of 68% is the headline, but the average scaled scores of 106 in both reading and maths are reassuringly above the national benchmark of 100. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in March 2024, confirmed it remains Good, with leadership and management also rated Good. That continues an upward trajectory from its previous graded inspection in 2014, when it was judged to require improvement. The school has held a Good rating across both its recent inspections, and the 2024 visit found no reason to change that judgement.

Cottingham offers a notably broad set of facilities for a primary of its size, including a sports hall, gymnasium, art studios, a sensory room, an ICT suite, a forest school and a chapel. Sports provision covers football, netball, rounders, cross country, gymnastics, athletics and cricket, while clubs extend to coding, drama, choir, book club and eco club. The school’s SEND provisions are clearly defined, covering specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. With a Church of England religious character and a headteacher in Ashley Scott, the school suits families who value a strong academic baseline, a full range of enrichment activities, and a setting where the school is at the heart of a small community. The oversubscription ratio means applicants need to be strategic, particularly those living outside the immediate catchment.

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