FRESHnetworking | Business Networking at Land Rover Experience • Monday, 6 October 2025 09:30 - 12:00 BST Land Rover Experience East of England, Shire Farm Uppingham Road Rockingham LE16 8TP – £37.00

NNBN Network Meeting at The Chester House Estate • Monday, 6 October 2025 19:00 - 20:30 BST Chester House Estate, A45 Irchester NN29 7EZ – Free to members, £10.00 non-members

The Connections Club Northampton - October • Tuesday, 7 October 2025 11:45 - 14:00 BST Delapré Abbey, London Road Northampton NN4 8AW – £44.00

NN Clear Speakers Meeting • Tuesday, 7 October 2025 18:45 - 21:00 BST North Park Pavillion, North Park Drive Kettering NN16 9LW – Free

Business Breakfast - Saving Money on Energy, Actionable Workshop • Thursday, 9 October 2025 08:00 - 08:50 BST 7formation Ltd, 23 Princewood Road Corby NN17 4AP – Free

Community of Practice Co-Production and Engagement • Thursday, 9 October 2025 09:30 - 12:00 GMT+1 University of Northampton, The Creative Hub University Drive Northampton NN1 5PH – Free

Women's Business Networking • Thursday, 9 October 2025 10:00 - 12:00 BST Vulcan Works, 34-38 Guildhall Road Northampton NN1 1EW – Free

An introduction to business structures: sole trader or limited company • Thursday, 9 October 2025 10:00 - 11:30 BST Online – Free

Monthly HR Clinic with Gateway HR • Thursday, 9 October 2025 12:00 - 13:00 BST Online – Free

Get Clients Consistently with Conversion Events • Friday, 10 October 2025 16:00 - 17:30 GMT+1 Online – Free

The Business Room - Northampton • Multiple Dates The Sun Inn, 9 High Street Hardingstone NN4 7BT – £30.00

Northampton Breakfast Business Networking Event
Every Monday (not bank holidays) 09:30‑10:30 BST
Online Free

#BusComm Wellingborough Business Networking Meeting - Face-to-face • Multiple Dates • The Hind Hotel, Sheep Street Wellingborough NN8 1BY – From £18.04

Kettering Business Buzz Networking • Multiple Dates • Prezzo Italian Restaurant Kettering, Unit 2 Market Place Kettering NN16 0AQ – From £13.55

The Business Room - North Northants • Multiple Dates • Kettering Park Hotel, Kettering Park Way Kettering NN15 6XT – Free

Wellingborough Business Buzz Networking • Multiple Dates • Castello Lounge, 1-2 Market Street Wellingborough NN8 1AN – From £13.55

Master Your Mind, Elevate Your Performance, and Boost Your Energy Levels
Every Wednesday 19:00‑19:30 BST
Online £43.50

The Business Bench Networking Event • Rushden Multiple dates 44 Park Road Rushden NN10 0RG – Free

#BusComm Northampton Business Networking Breakfast Meeting - face-to-face • Harpole Multiple dates Turnpike Beefeater, Weedon Road, Harpole,
NN7 4DD – £18

Northampton Business Buzz Networking • Northampton Multiple dates Barratts Club, Kingsthorpe Road Northampton NN2 6HT – £13.55

#BusComm Kettering Business Networking Meeting - Face-to-face • Kettering Multiple dates Telford Lodge Brewers Fayre, Rothwell Road Kettering NN16 8FX – £8.04

Towcester Business Buzz Networking • Multiple Dates Towcester Mill Brewery, Chantry Lane Towcester NN12 6YY – £13.55

Business Networking Thrapston, East Northamptonshire and Huntingdon • Multiple Dates The Woolpack Inn, 6 Kettering Road Islip NN14 3JU – £15

#BusComm Northampton Evening Networking Meeting - face-to-face • Multiple Dates Cheyne Walk Club, 2 Cheyne Walk Northampton NN1 5PU – £18.04

"FORE" Business Golf and Networking |Colingtree Park Golf Club Multiple dates • Collingtree Park Golf Club, 90 Windingbrook Lane Northampton NN4 0XN • Advertised as Free

Booked to Speak: A Masterclass for Coaches, Consultants, Leaders & Experts Multiple dates • Online • Free

The Business Bench Networking Event Multiple dates • 44 Park Road, Rushden NN10 0RG • Free

The Business Room - South Northants & Milton Keynes North Multiple dates • The Fox & Hounds, 44 High Street Whittlebury NN12 8XJ • Free

Rushden Business Buzz Networking • Multiple Dates The Railway Inn - JD Wetherspoon, 143 High Street Rushden NN10 0PA – £13.55

#BusComm Northampton Evening Networking Meeting - face-to-face • Multiple Dates Cheyne Walk Club, 2 Cheyne Walk Northampton NN1 5PU – £18.04

BNI Ignite Business Networking Event: Tuesdays - 06:45 - 09:00 - The Turnpike, Harpole Turn, Weedon Road, Northampton, Northants, NN7 4DD - £15

BNi Amethyst Business Networking Thrapston, East Northamptonshire and Huntingdon, Islip Wednesdays 09:30 - 12:00 The Woolpack Inn, 6 Kettering Road Islip NN14 3JU – £15

BNI Pioneer Online Business Networking: Wednesdays - 09:30 - 11:30 -
Online - £15

BNI Pavilion Business Networking Event: Thursdays - 06:30 - 08:30 - Holiday Inn Northampton, an IHG Hotel, Bedford Road, Northampton NN4 7YF - £15

BNI Prosperity Business Networking Event: Thursdays - 06:45 - 09:45 - Kettering Golf Club, Headlands, Kettering NN15 6XA - £15

BNI Luminate Business Networking Event: Thursdays - 07:40 - 09:40 - Daventry Town Hall, Daventry - £15

BNI Sterling Business Networking Event: Thursdays - 11:30 - 13:30 - Nene Whitewater Centre, Bedford Rd, Northampton NN4 7AA - £15

BNI Lighthouse Business Networking Event: Fridays - 06:45 - 08:45 - Delapre Abbey, London Rd, Northampton NN4 8AW - £15

Please send your upcoming events to [email protected]

Using Lived experience to Improve Services - What is Co-Production? • Tuesday, 7 October 2025 09:30 - 12:30 BST Danetre Hospital, London Road Daventry NN11 4EB – Free

Yoga & Wine Tasting • Tuesday, 7 October 2025 18:00 - 21:00 GMT+1 V and B Northampton, 10 Saint Giles' Square Northampton NN1 1DA – £28.00

Feeling Too Much and Not Enough? Radiance Hacking™ Masterclass • Tuesday, 7 October 2025 20:00 - 21:15 GMT+1 Online – Free

Barnwell Sacred Sound Bath Evening • Thursday, 9 October 2025 19:00 - 20:00 BST (Doors at 18:45) Barnwell Village Hall (behind Montague Arms pub), Barnwell, Nr Oundle PE8 5QD – £15.00

Living with Bipolar • Friday, 10 October 2025 09:30 - 15:30 GMT+1 Danetre Hospital, Daventry NN11 4EB – Free

Unwind in the Woods: forest bathing at Salcey • Saturday, 11 October 2025 13:00 - 15:00 BST Salcey Forest, Wootton Road Northampton NN7 2HX – £26.00

Women's FREE Safety & Self Defence Workshop - Kettering | Mondays • 18:30 - 19:15 GMT+1 • St John Community Hall, Edith Road Kettering NN16 0QA • Free

Healing Breathwork | Accelerate emotional and physical healing • Northampton
Mondays (not bank holidays) 18:00 - 19:15 GMT Online – £15

Tai Chi Class
Wednesdays 13:00 - 14:00 GMT Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, 4-6 Guildhall Road, Northampton NN1 1DP – £9.38

Breathwork - Free Weekly Class • Northampton
Wednesdays 18:00 - 18:30 GMT Online – Free

Pranayama Breathing Free Class • Northampton
Wednesdays 18:00 - 18:30 GMT Online – Free

Master Your Mind, Elevate Your Performance, and Boost Your Energy Levels
Wednesdays 19:00 - 19:30 GMT Online – £43.50

ONLINE Seminar – Emotional Separation from Parents
Daily 14:00 – 15:00 | Online – £15

ONLINE Seminar – Inner Child: Stuck in Childhood
Daily 17:00 – 18:00 | Online – £15

Group Coaching for Awakening Women with Creative Dreams
Every Thursday 16:00 | Online – Donations

Aromatouch Lymphatic Massage
Every Monday (various time-slots) | Northampton – £38.62

ONLINE SEMINAR (Course) - Emotional Separation from Parents Fridays 14:00 - 15:00 BST Online – £15

ONLINE SEMINAR (course) - Inner child. Stuck in childhood Fridays 16:00 - 18:00 BST Online – £15

Immersive Sound Bath Experience • Multiple Dates Northampton Museum & Art Gallery, 4-6 Guildhall Road Northampton NN1 1DP – £24.54

Immersive Yoga - single ticket September - October 2025 • Multiple Dates • Northampton Museum & Art Gallery, 4-6 Guildhall Road Northampton NN1 1DP – £10.24

Soul Awakening: Transcend Trauma & Reclaim Your Power • Multiple Dates • Online – Free

Tai Chi Classes - September - December 2025 • Multiple Dates • Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, 4-6 Guildhall Road Northampton NN1 1DP – From £9.38

Neonatal Support Group Multiple dates • Penrith Drive Children's Centre, Penrith Drive Wellingborough NN8 3XL • Free

Online Psychotherapy session (Relationships) • Multiple Dates Wellington Street Northampton NN1 3AS – £49

Immersive Yoga - single ticket September - October 2025 • Multiple Dates Northampton Museum & Art Gallery, 4-6 Guildhall Road Northampton NN1 1DP – £10.24

Healing Our Inner Child through IFS (Internal Family Systems) • Multiple Dates Online – Free

Tai Chi Classes - September - December 2025 • Multiple Dates Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, 4-6 Guildhall Road Northampton NN1 1DP – £9.38

Three years ago, Huxlow Academy in Irthlingborough faced one of the toughest challenges any school can encounter - an inadequate Ofsted rating that highlighted significant issues with leadership, management, and behaviour. This week, we're celebrating their remarkable turnaround story that proves what's possible when a school community comes together with a clear vision and unwavering commitment.

Under the leadership of headteacher Kim Isaksen, who has been at Huxlow for 14 years and became permanent head in May 2024, the school has completely reversed its fortunes. In June 2025, Ofsted inspectors returned and awarded Huxlow a 'good' rating - a transformation that Mrs Isaksen herself describes as the result of "going back to basics" and understanding exactly what needed to improve.

The Huxlow Way: Pride, Ambition, and Respect

At the heart of this transformation is the 'Huxlow Way' - three core values of pride, ambition, and respect that now permeate every aspect of school life. These aren't just words on a wall; they're living principles that have reshaped the entire culture of the school.

The 2025 Ofsted report praised how leaders have 'transformed pupils' experiences of school so that they have more opportunities to be successful,' citing the Huxlow Way as key to students' learning experience and the school's wider culture.

Remarkable Results

The proof is in the outcomes. This year, Huxlow Academy achieved:

But perhaps more importantly, the school has created an environment where students 'feel safe and have a trusted adult they can turn to' - a stark contrast to 2022 when behaviour issues and a lack of mutual respect dominated the school culture.

From Crisis to Community

Mrs Isaksen candidly acknowledges that the 2022 report was "very fair" and that behaviour was their biggest problem - but crucially, she recognised it was "a symptom of the fact that things weren't right."

The transformation involved addressing fundamental issues: recruiting and retaining quality staff, establishing consistently high expectations (not just for exam results, but for how pupils conduct themselves), and fostering positive relationships centered on inclusion.

"We're now in a place where people want to come and teach," Mrs Isaksen explained. "We demand the very best for our children."

Joining Tove Learning Trust in 2022, which also oversees Whitefriars Primary and Rushden Academy in Rushden, provided what Mrs Isaksen describes as "a real springboard for improvement."

Looking Forward

Mrs Isaksen's vision extends beyond exam results: "Schools are about exams of course, but that is only one thing. It's about making memories, developing young people, and having a place that is theirs. I have all my memories of school and the friends I made at school - I want young people to have that."

With applications now open for Year 7 and Year 12 for the 2026/27 academic year, Huxlow Academy is looking to build on its success while maintaining the strong sense of community that has been central to its transformation.

This is a story of resilience, commitment, and the power of a shared vision. Congratulations to everyone at Huxlow Academy - students, staff, parents, and leaders - who have worked tirelessly to make this transformation possible. The 'Huxlow Way' is proof that with the right values and dedication, any school can turn things around.

Well done, Huxlow!

Do you know a local business or resident with an inspiring success story? We'd love to hear from you for our weekly feature.

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