Revealed: The primary schools in Northampton with the best attendance rates

For primary schools to achieve one of the most important tasks expected of them - teaching their young pupils essential school skills - they need children attending class as often as possible.

But overall, England’s attendance rates show definite room for improvement. The Government’s latest absence and attendance figures, covering the full 2023/24 school year, show that the overall absence rate - the percentage of half-days missed for all pupils - still lingers well above pre-pandemic figures. One in five pupils were also labelled ‘persistently absent’, meaning they missed at least 10 percent of these half-day sessions.

A recent Department for Education report has demonstrated just how much this matters to a pupil’s education, even in their primary school years. It found that those who attended school nearly every day in Year 6 were 1.3 times more likely to meet the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing and maths in Year 6, compared to pupils who only attended 90-95 percent of the time. This means missing just 10 days of school reduces their chances by around 25 percent.

We’ve taken a look at overall absence rates for state-funded primary schools - including infant and lower schools – in Northampton and the wider West Northamptonshire. Using this data, we have created a league table for parents, shining a spotlight on the local school communities that excelled when it came to encouraging regular attendance over the last school year.

Here are the 24 schools that came out on top...