Kingsthorpe College

About Kingsthorpe College

Kingsthorpe College holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained across its two most recent graded inspections, the most recent of which took place in 2025. The school’s Progress 8 score for the 2023/24 academic year sits at -0.26, which places it in the ‘Below average’ banding nationally. This means that, on average, pupils achieved about a quarter of a grade less per subject than their peers across England. Within West Northamptonshire, the school ranks 18th out of 22 secondary schools on this measure, and its score is notably below the local authority average of +0.05. The Attainment 8 score of 40.3 gives a clearer picture of raw results, while the basics measure shows that 55.1% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and maths, and 36.3% reached the stronger grade 5 or above threshold.

Digging deeper into the data, the school’s strongest Progress 8 component is English, where the score is a very slight positive of +0.01, effectively in line with national expectations. Maths, however, shows a negative score of -0.33, and the EBacc element is -0.3. Only 26.5% of pupils entered the EBacc suite of subjects, and 21.2% achieved a grade 4 or above across it. At sixth form, the picture is similarly mixed: the value-added score is -0.21, also classed as ‘Below average’, with an average points per entry of 31.81, equivalent to a C+ grade. The best three A-levels averaged a C+ grade as well. Ofsted’s most recent ungraded inspection in March 2025 confirmed that standards are being maintained, with all inspected areas — including behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and sixth-form provision — rated Good.

The school is large, with 1,394 pupils on roll against a capacity of 1,450, and it is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 412 applications for 248 places, with 184 first-preference offers made. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is 21.9%, above the national average. Facilities are extensive, including a swimming pool, astro turf, tennis courts, a sports hall, music rooms, art studios, and a sixth-form centre. There is a wide range of SEND provisions on offer, covering dyslexia, autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and social, emotional and mental health support, among others. Parent View responses from 139 parents in the 2024/25 period show that 57% would recommend the school, though responses on specific questions were mixed — for instance, 44% agreed their child is happy, but 36% disagreed, and 40% strongly disagreed that SEND children receive the support they need. This is a school that suits families who value a broad range of facilities and activities — including clubs like the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Model UN, and Young Enterprise — but who are aware that academic outcomes currently sit below the local average.

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