Code: E06000061
Director of Children's Services: Cornelia Andrecut


Summary of Ofsted findings

Summary of Ofsted findings

Inspection of North Northamptonshire’s local authority children’s services

These inspections focus on the effectiveness of local authority services and arrangements:

  • to help and protect children, and enable families to stay together and get the help they need
  • the experiences and progress of children in care wherever they live, including those children who return home
  • the arrangements for permanence for children who are looked after, in stable, loving homes, including adoption
  • the experiences and progress of care leavers.
Inspection type Inspection start date Overall effectiveness Impact of leaders Help and protection Children in care Care leavers
ILACS Standard Inspection 3 October 2022 Requires improvement to be good Requires improvement to be good Requires improvement to be good Requires improvement to be good No outcome

Data source

Area SEND inspection of North Northamptonshire Local Area Partnership

The purpose of an area SEND inspection is to:

  • provide an independent, external evaluation of the effectiveness of the local area partnership’s arrangements for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)
  • where appropriate, recommend what the local area partnership should do to improve the arrangements.
Inspection outcome

North Northamptonshire was last inspected on 22 January 2024.

There are widespread and/or systemic failings leading to significant concerns about the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND, which the local area partnership must address urgently. The local area partnership must prepare and submit a priority area SEND action plan addressing the areas for priority action that we identified.

They were given 4 areas for priority action.

A monitoring inspection will be carried out within approximately 18 months. The next full area SEND inspection will be within approximately 3 years.

Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) ask that the local area partnership updates and publishes its strategic plan based on the recommendations set out in this report.

Data source

Joint targeted area inspection of North Northamptonshire local authority

The agencies for these inspections can include the police, children’s social care, probation services, education and relevant health services. Inspectors will also evaluate how local agencies work with education and childcare providers. The focus of these inspections is how effectively the local safeguarding partners work together at the practice and strategic levels.

Theme Inspection start date Link
There have been no JTAI inspections for this local authority.

Data source

Ofsted inspection reports and tools


Local authority context

Population 18 and under Number %
North Northamptonshire 87,441 23.4%
National 12,869,368 22.0%

Data source

Children looked after Number Rate per 10,000
North Northamptonshire 568 68
National 81,770 67

Data source

School-age pupils eligible for free school meals Number %
North Northamptonshire 11,445 21.8%
National 2,085,168 26.7%

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School-age pupils eligible for extra funding (pupil premium) Number %
North Northamptonshire 12,426 23.9%
National 2,266,608 29.3%

Data source

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in state-funded settings Number %
North Northamptonshire 10,757 18.3%
National 1,766,924 19.6%

Data source

School-age pupils with English as an additional language Number %
North Northamptonshire 10,778 19.1%
National 1,806,029 21.4%

Data source

% of children in income-deprived families (IDACI) Average %
North Northamptonshire 32.0%
National 38.0%
Health Index (children and young people) Health Index score
North Northamptonshire 99.2
National 100.8
More details about the health index metric

Indicates the health of an area measured in three domains: Healthy People, Health Lives and Healthy Places.

A score of 100 represents health in England in 2015. A higher number means better health and a lower number means worse health.

Data source

Remit overview

Contents

Early years

Population Number in North Northamptonshire % in North Northamptonshire % National
Aged 0 to 5 years 24,953 6.7% 6.4%
Aged 0 3,623 1.0% 1.0%
Aged 1 3,886 1.0% 1.0%
Aged 2 4,197 1.1% 1.1%
Aged 3 4,220 1.1% 1.1%
Aged 4 4,479 1.2% 1.1%
Aged 5 4,548 1.2% 1.1%

Data source

Disadvantaged Number in North Northamptonshire % in North Northamptonshire % National
Early years pupil premium 627 2.5% 3.3%
Children looked after (under 1 year) 41 1.1% 0.6%
Children looked after (1 to 4 years) 61 0.4% 0.4%

Data sources:

Special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) /
Education, health and care plans (EHCP)
Number in North Northamptonshire % in North Northamptonshire % National
SEN support in state-funded settings (age 2 and under) 23 0.2% 0.3%
SEN support in state-funded settings (age 3) 75 1.8% 3.7%
SEN support in state-funded settings (age 4) 298 6.7% 9.4%
SEN support in state-funded settings (age 5) 446 9.8% 12.1%
Total: SEN support in state-funded settings (age 5 and under) 842 3.4% 4.5%
Children with an EHCP (age 2 and under) 2 0.0% 0.0%
Children with an EHCP (age 3) 133 3.2% 0.7%
Children with an EHCP (age 4) 256 5.7% 3.5%
Children with an EHCP (age 5) 256 5.6% 4.7%
Total: Children with an EHCP (age 5 and under) 647 2.6% 1.6%

Data sources:

Funded early years places for 2-year-olds Population aged 2-years-old Number of eligible 2-year-olds % of population aged 2 % take-up of funded places
North Northamptonshire 4,197 914 21.8% 54.2%
National 630,059 145,824 23.1% 65.2%

Data source

Funded early years places for 3-year-olds Population aged 3-years-old Number of eligible 3-year-olds % of population aged 3 % take-up of funded places
North Northamptonshire 4,220 All 3-year olds are eligible 85.7%
National 625,948 90.6%
The 2 and 3-year-old funded places tables look different because they measure different things; funded places for 2-year-olds are only for children considered to be disadvantaged, while for 3-year-olds everyone is entitled to a funded place.

Data source

Children's overweight and obesity Number in North Northamptonshire % in North Northamptonshire % National
Children's overweight and obesity (reception-age children) 885 23.4% 23.5%

Data source

Oral health Number examined in North Northamptonshire % examined in North Northamptonshire % in North Northamptonshire % National
Oral health (visible tooth decay in 5-year-olds) 1,322 31.0% 24.8% 22.4%

Schools

Population Number in North Northamptonshire % in North Northamptonshire1 % National1
Primary-age pupils (ages 5 to 11) 32,779 8.8% 8.2%
Secondary-age pupils (ages 12 to 16) 25,163 6.7% 6.2%

Data source

Population of looked-after-children Number in North Northamptonshire % in North Northamptonshire1 % National1
Ages 5 to 9 117 0.5% 0.4%
Ages 10 to 15 221 0.7% 0.7%

Data source

Pupils eligible for free schools meals Number in North Northamptonshire % in North Northamptonshire2 % National2
Primary 6,010 20.2% 25.3%
Secondary 4,906 23.0% 27.5%
Alternative provision 64.6%
Special 529 43.5% 49.5%
Non-maintained special 31.0%

Data source

Pupils eligible for pupil premium Number in North Northamptonshire % in North Northamptonshire2 % National2
Primary 6,040 20.2% 25.1%
Secondary 5,252 23.9% 28.9%

Data source

Pupils with SEND Number in North Northamptonshire % in North Northamptonshire2 % National2
Primary 5,048 16.7% 18.2%
Secondary 3,866 15.8% 16.5%
Alternative provision 83.4%
Special 1,329 100.0% 99.9%
Non-maintained special 99.7%
Independent schools 432 17.8% 24.1%

Data source

Pupils with English as an additional language Number in North Northamptonshire % in North Northamptonshire2 % National2
Primary 6,359 21.0% 23.4%
Secondary 4,102 16.7% 19.2%
Alternative provision 7.6%
Special 153 11.5% 14.5%
Non-maintained special 11.0%
Attendance of all pupils up to week 4 of calendar year % in North Northamptonshire2 % National2
Primary 95.1% 95.0%
Secondary 91.5% 91.8%
Special 89.5% 87.1%

Data source

Attendance of pupils eligible for free school meals (summer term 2024/25) % in North Northamptonshire2 % National2
Primary 91.5% 91.9%
Secondary 83.7% 85.2%
Special 83.3% 85.1%

Data source

Attendance of pupils with SEND (summer term 2024/25) % in North Northamptonshire2 % National2
Primary 92.2% 92.1%
Secondary 83.9% 84.3%
Special 87.9% 87.3%

Data source

Primary attainment: Year 1 phonics screening pass Number in North Northamptonshire % in North Northamptonshire2 % National2
All pupils 3,214 78.4% 79.8%
Pupils eligible for free school meals 464 63.4% 66.6%
Pupils with SEND 276 41.1% 43.4%
Pupils with English as an additional language 700 80.5% 79.5%
Primary attainment: Year 4 times table check (full marks) Number in North Northamptonshire % in North Northamptonshire2 % National2
All pupils 1,491 33.6% 36.8%
Pupils eligible for free school meals 251 24.0% 27.4%
Pupils with SEND 125 13.7% 16.5%
Pupils with English as an additional language 418 47.6% 45.2%

Data source

Primary attainment: Key stage 2 reading, writing, maths combined (met the expected standard) Number in North Northamptonshire % in North Northamptonshire2 % National2
All pupils 2,582 58.8% 62.6%
Pupils eligible for free school meals 442 41.3% 47.7%
Pupils with SEND 202 20.4% 23.8%
Pupils with English as an additional language 557 61.7% 66.2%

Data source

Secondary attainment: Attainment 8 Average in North Northamptonshire2 National average2
All pupils 42.8 45.9
Pupils eligible for free school meals 31.5 35.0
Pupils with SEND 26.4 28.1

Data source

Population receiving education outside of their local authority Number outside of North Northamptonshire % outside of North Northamptonshire2 % National2
Primary 1,029 3.5% 4.1%
Secondary 1,649 7.3% 8.7%
Special 71 5.8% 9.0%
Children being home educated Number in North Northamptonshire % in North Northamptonshire1 % National1
Primary 300 0.9% 0.8%
Secondary 750 3.0% 2.5%
Total 1,050 1.8% 1.5%
More details about the children being home educated numbers
Local authority data in the source dataset has been rounded to the nearest 10. As a result totals may not equal the sum of their component parts.

Data source

Suspensions (from primary school) Number in North Northamptonshire Rate per 100 pupils in North Northamptonshire3 Rate per 100 pupils National3
Total number of suspensions 416 1.4 0.9
Total pupils with one or more suspensions 233 0.8 0.5
Pupils with one or more suspensions who are eligible for free school meals 121 2.1 (in group) 1.2 (in group)
Pupils with one or more suspensions with SEND 181 3.8 (in group) 2.4 (in group)
More details about suspensions from state-funded primary schools and totals not summing
Suspensions data on total number of pupils may not match, as a change in a pupil’s category within the same term results in them being counted separately under each category. For example, if a pupil receives multiple suspensions while classified as not having SEN, and then receives additional suspensions after being reclassified as receiving SEN support during the same term, they will be recorded as two separate enrolments in the data.

Data source

Suspensions (from secondary school) Number in North Northamptonshire Rate per 100 pupils in North Northamptonshire3 Rate per 100 pupils National3
Total number of suspensions 2,596 10.6 7.8
Total pupils with one or more suspensions 1,210 4.9 3.8
Pupils with one or more suspensions who are eligible for free school meals 596 11.5 (in group) 8.2 (in group)
Pupils with one or more suspensions with SEND 415 10.9 (in group) 9.1 (in group)
More details about suspensions from state-funded secondary schools and totals not summing
Suspensions data on total number of pupils may not match, as a change in a pupil’s category within the same term results in them being counted separately under each category. For example, if a pupil receives multiple suspensions while classified as not having SEN, and then receives additional suspensions after being reclassified as receiving SEN support during the same term, they will be recorded as two separate enrolments in the data.

Data source

Suspensions (from special school) Number in North Northamptonshire Rate per 100 pupils in North Northamptonshire3 Rate per 100 pupils National3
Total number of suspensions 74 5.7 5.1
Total pupils with one or more suspensions 39 3.0 2.9
Pupils with one or more suspensions who are eligible for free school meals 27 4.9 (in group) 4.1 (in group)
Pupils with one or more suspensions with SEND 39 3.0 (in group) 2.9 (in group)
More details about suspensions from state-funded special schools and totals not summing
Suspensions data on total number of pupils may not match, as a change in a pupil’s category within the same term results in them being counted separately under each category. For example, if a pupil receives multiple suspensions while classified as not having SEN, and then receives additional suspensions after being reclassified as receiving SEN support during the same term, they will be recorded as two separate enrolments in the data.

Data source

Exclusions (from primary school) Number in North Northamptonshire % in North Northamptonshire2 % National2
Total number of pupils excluded 6 0.0% 0.0%
Pupils eligible for free school meals 5 0.1% 0.0%
Pupils with SEND 6 0.1% 0.1%

Data source

Exclusions (from secondary school) Number in North Northamptonshire % in North Northamptonshire2 % National2
Total number of pupils excluded 37 0.2% 0.1%
Pupils eligible for free school meals 24 0.5% 0.2%
Pupils with SEND 15 0.4% 0.3%

Data source

Exclusions (from special school) Number in North Northamptonshire % in North Northamptonshire2 % National2
Total number of pupils excluded 1 0.1% 0.0%
Pupils eligible for free school meals 0 0.0% 0.0%
Pupils with SEND 1 0.1% 0.0%

1. % of all children in North Northamptonshire / England.

2. % of all pupils in state-funded settings across North Northamptonshire / England.

3. Rate per 100 pupils in state-funded settings across North Northamptonshire / England.

Further education and skills

Population Number in North Northamptonshire % in North Northamptonshire % National
Aged 16 to 18 years 14,141 3.8% 3.6%
Aged 19 to 21 years 8,614 2.3% 3.6%
Aged 22 to 24 years 11,195 3.0% 3.6%
Aged 25 years and over 266,621 71.3% 70.8%

Data source

Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) Number in North Northamptonshire % in North Northamptonshire % National
16- to 17-year-olds known to LA 9,029 2.6% 2.4%
NEET 191 2.1% 3.4%
Activity not known 39 0.4% 2.2%
Total NEET or activity not known 230 2.5% 5.6%

Data source

16 to 18 progression to higher education or training % in North Northamptonshire % National
Degrees (all) 73.0% 66.0%
Degrees at top third higher education institutions 26.0% 24.0%
Higher apprenticeships 3.0% 2.0%
Other study at level 4 and 5 1.0% 3.0%
Progressing to higher education or training 76.0% 70.0%
More details about the further education and skills destinations data

This data reflects the destinations of pupils based on the number on roll when they were aged 16 to 18, tracking where they progressed after completing their studies.

Degree destinations include any study at level 6 or higher such as bachelor degrees, graduate diplomas, and post-graduate degrees. The top third higher education institutions when ranked by average UCAS tariff score of entrants across their best 3 A levels.

Higher apprenticeships are those from level 4 to 7 and are equivalent to a foundation degree and above. Degree apprenticeships are available at levels 6 and 7.

Other study at level 4 or 5 destinations include those students studying qualifications such as foundation degrees, Higher National Certificates (HNCs) and Higher National Diplomas (HNDs).

Data source

Social care

Explore the findings from Ofsted's local authority inspections.

Explore population characteristics for this local authority.