Kents Hill Infant Academy

Kents Hill Infant Academy has been rated as good overall, with strong performances across all key domains including the quality of education, behaviour, personal development, leadership, and early years provision. This is the school's first routine inspection since becoming an academy, reflecting a significant transition period following its previous outstanding status. The nurturing environment created by the staff supports pupils’ happiness and willingness to learn, contributing to their overall positive experience at school.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and are happy in a nurturing environment.
• The school maintains high ambitions for all pupils, encouraging engagement through fun lessons.
• Staff are well trained and prioritize reading for early-stage learners.
• The personal, social, health, and economic education program is well-structured.
• Positive relationships between staff and pupils support strong learning outcomes.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils struggle to effectively communicate their knowledge through writing.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Kents Hill Infant Academy attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.4% of pupils at Kents Hill Infant Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Kents Hill Infant Academy had 26.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 7.5% of pupils at Kents Hill Infant Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Kents Hill Infant Academy received £6,537 and spent £6,905 for each of its 243 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £154,000 (-£633 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of South Essex Academy Trust, income was £7,094 and spending £7,211 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Benfleet · Essex local authority: places and applications

Kents Hill Infant Academy is part of South Essex Academy Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Westwood Academy Benfleet
• Winter Gardens Academy Canvey Island
• Bardfield Academy Basildon
• Parkwood Academy Chelmsford

What is Kents Hill Infant Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Kents Hill Infant Academy is Good, from an inspection in May 2024.

When was Kents Hill Infant Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Kents Hill Infant Academy was last inspected in May 2024.

How many pupils does Kents Hill Infant Academy have?

Kents Hill Infant Academy has 239 pupils on roll.

What age range does Kents Hill Infant Academy cover?

Kents Hill Infant Academy for pupils aged 2 to 7.

Where is Kents Hill Infant Academy?

Kents Hill Infant Academy is at Kents Hill Road, Benfleet, Essex, SS7 5PS.