Our Lady's Catholic Primary School

About Our Lady's Catholic Primary School

Our Lady's Catholic Primary School in North Northamptonshire is a popular choice among local families, with 41 applications for just 21 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.95. All 21 first-preference applicants were offered a place, meaning that while the school is oversubscribed, it is not impossibly so for those who list it as their top choice. The school does not publish a parent recommendation percentage, so it is not possible to gauge satisfaction from that metric directly, but the application numbers suggest a solid local reputation. Headteacher Elise Gribble leads a mixed-gender Roman Catholic primary for children aged 4 to 11, with 324 pupils on roll against a capacity of 420, leaving some physical room for growth. The school serves a community where 26.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, above the national average, and it offers a range of SEND provisions covering eight areas including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and social, emotional and mental health support.

Academically, the school's most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2024 rated it as Requires Improvement overall, a step up from its previous Inadequate rating in March 2020. The inspection found that early years provision and personal development are now Good, while quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management all require improvement. At Key Stage 2, 56% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is below the North Northamptonshire local authority average of 61%. This places the school 60th out of 90 primary schools in the LA, putting it in the bottom half locally and in the bottom 50% nationally. Individual subject scores show 66% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading and maths, and 68% in writing, but only 2% achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. Progress scores are not available, so it is unclear how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a sensory room, library, art studios, music rooms, gymnasium, chapel, and outdoor playing fields. Sports provision covers netball, tennis, cricket, rounders, swimming, cross country, and gymnastics, while clubs include gardening, book club, film club, coding, eco club, and chess. The SEND provisions are comprehensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, hearing and multi-sensory impairments, and physical disabilities, which makes the school a viable option for families with children who have a range of additional needs. Given its Requires Improvement rating and below-average KS2 outcomes, this school may suit parents who prioritise a Catholic ethos and a supportive SEND environment over top-tier academic results, and who are comfortable with the school being in a period of improvement following its recent inspection upgrade from Inadequate.

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