The Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School

  • Primary
  • Academy
  • Ages 3 to 11
Ofsted judgements: Good

Kingsland Gardens, Kingsthorpe, Northampton, NN2 7BHOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)

The Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School is a primary school in Northampton for ages 3 to 11. It is one of the 204 schools in West Northamptonshire. It ranks 58th of 95 primary schools in Northampton. Its latest Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, graded each key judgement and gave no overall Ofsted rating.

Ofsted inspection

Inspected 4 March 2025, report published 2 April 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
Early years provision
Good
Safeguarding
Met

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 4 March 2025

Pupils love coming to The Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School. The school's 'virtues' of faith, hope, forgiveness, love and trust are tangible and lived throughout the school. Pupils feel valued, listened to and safe. They are polite and respectful and welcome new friends to the school. Pupils learn and play harmoniously together. The school is aspirational for pupils' achievements. Pupils study a wide range of interesting topics and read books that enthuse them to learn new and ambitious vocabulary. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have the same opportunities as their peers and are well supported to be successful. Pupils try hard and achieve well. Pupils are enthused by the enriching experiences that the school provides. These include learning outdoors and in the community, visiting museums, participating in sports events and learning to play musical instruments. The school is calm and orderly. Pupils enjoy making their own contribution to school life, for instance, as junior leaders and 'eco stewards'. Pupils aim to show kindness and to be resilient. They are proud to earn virtue tokens for doing this. All this prepares pupils well for their next steps.

What the school should improve

  • In some subjects and sometimes in the early years, staff's checks on pupils' knowledge do not spot pupils' misunderstandings or learning gaps. This means staff do not routinely make appropriate decisions about pupils' next learning steps to ensure that they gain knowledge securely. The school should support staff to use assessment information effectively so that pupils achieve well in all subjects.
  • The school does not have as secure an understanding of how well pupils are learning in some subjects compared to others. This means they do not have as full a picture of where to make improvements. The school should ensure that they check how well pupils are learning across subjects, so they better understand where they might need to make necessary improvements.

Exam results

SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25

30 pupils took the tests

Expected standard in reading, writing and maths57%

57%, 5 percentage points below the England average of 62%.

Higher standard in reading, writing and maths7%

7%, 1 percentage points below the England average of 8%.

Reading, average scaled score104

104, 2 below the England average of 106.

Maths, average scaled score103

103, 2 below the England average of 105.

Grammar, punctuation and spelling, average scaled score105

105, the same as the England average.

Pupil numbers and mix

282 pupils on roll, with places for 420

Eligible for free school meals18.8%

18.8%, 7.7 percentage points below the England average of 26.5%.

English as an additional language42.2%

42.2%, 20.6 percentage points above the England average of 21.6%.

Special educational needs support17%

17%, 2.2 percentage points above the England average of 14.8%.

Education, health and care plan3.9%

3.9%, 2.1 percentage points below the England average of 6%.

Schools near The Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School

SchoolDistanceOfstedResults
Kingsthorpe Grove Primary School0.1 milesOfsted: Good42% met the expected standard
Kingsthorpe Village Primary School0.4 milesReport card: Expected standard53% met the expected standard
Green Oaks Primary Academy0.5 milesOfsted: Good53% met the expected standard
Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School0.5 milesOfsted: Good75% met the expected standard
Kingsley Primary School0.9 milesOfsted: Good51% met the expected standard

School details

School type
Academy converter
Sector
Academy
Trust
OUR LADY IMMACULATE CATHOLIC ACADEMIES TRUST LTD
Age range
3 to 11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic
Nursery classes
Yes
Headteacher
Mrs Carmel Dodds
Address
Kingsland Gardens, Kingsthorpe, Northampton, NN2 7BH
Local authority
West Northamptonshire
URN
142742

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.