Sponne School
Brackley Road, Towcester, NN12 6DJOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Sponne School is a secondary school in Towcester for ages 11 to 18. It is one of the 204 schools in West Northamptonshire. It ranks 6th of 22 secondary schools in West Northamptonshire. Its latest Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, graded each key judgement and gave no overall Ofsted rating.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 21 January 2025, report published 2 March 2025
This inspection graded each key judgement and gave no overall effectiveness grade.
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form provision
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 21 January 2025
Pupils are rightfully proud of their school. The school strives to live out its 'dream, believe, achieve' values daily. Pupils are respectful and welcoming. Relationships are polite and cooperative. Pupils appreciate the calm and orderly ethos across the school. Pastoral care is strong, as is staff's work to promote pupils' welfare. Pupils are happy and safe. They know who to turn to if they have any worries. They are cared for very well. The majority of pupils behave well. Bullying is rare. The school deals with it appropriately when it occurs. The school sets high expectations. Pupils learn well and achieve highly. Sixth-form students gain from a range of purposeful opportunities that fully support their personal development. They value the support that they receive. Older students serve as positive role models for younger pupils. Pupils benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities, including a variety of sporting and performance activities. Pupils gain from many memorable experiences, including trips and overseas residential visits. Most parents and carers have positive views about the school. They value the school's inclusive and supportive culture. They recognise the school's strengths including its musical life that is quite exceptional. However, some parents do not fully understand the school's expectations of their children.
What the school should improve
- The school's focus on disadvantaged pupils is not as sharp as it needs to be. As a result, the barriers faced by these pupils are not as effectively addressed as they might be and some do not achieve as well as they could in some subjects. The school needs to ensure that provision for disadvantaged pupils enables these pupils to learn at least as well as their peers.
- The school's high aspirations and expectations have not been communicated successfully to some parents. As a result, some parents do not fully understand the reasons for, and the benefits of, the school's expectations and provision. The school should ensure that parents understand its expectations, thus enabling parents to support the school's work in providing for their children's education.
Exam results
GCSE results (key stage 4), 2024/25
232 pupils in the year group
A level results (key stage 5), 2024/25
129 students
Average A level grade C+, England average B-
Pupil numbers and mix
1,410 pupils on roll, with places for 1,373
Schools near Sponne School
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silverstone UTC | 4 miles | Ofsted: Requires improvement | Attainment 8: 31.1 |
| Roade Village Academy | 4 miles | No Ofsted inspection | Not published |
| Campion School | 6 miles | Report card: Expected standard to strong standard | Attainment 8: 46.2 |
| Caroline Chisholm School | 7 miles | Ofsted: Good | Attainment 8: 50.4 |
| Abbeyfield School | 7 miles | Report card: Needs attention to expected standard | Attainment 8: 44.0 |
School details
- School type
- Academy converter
- Sector
- Academy
- Trust
- TOVE LEARNING TRUST
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Headteacher
- Mr Graham Forbes
- Phone
- 01327350284
- Address
- Brackley Road, Towcester, NN12 6DJ
- Local authority
- West Northamptonshire
- URN
- 136488
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.