Kettering Park Junior Academy

Kettering Park Junior Academy has undergone a significant transformation since its previous inspection, now being rated as good overall. The school demonstrates a strong commitment to supporting all pupils, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and those who are disadvantaged. Pupils are engaged and enthusiastic learners, displaying good behaviour and a supportive school community that emphasizes respect and responsibility. High-quality education is evident in reading and mathematics, with pupils being provided with ample resources and targeted support to ensure they achieve well. However, the school recognizes areas for improvement in the curriculum delivery, particularly the need for stronger links between prior learning and new content, which can result in knowledge gaps for some pupils. Ensuring consistency in the curriculum implementation remains a focus moving forward, as well as reinforcing strategies to check the effectiveness of teaching across all subjects. Overall, the school is well-positioned to continue its progress and address these challenges effectively.

Strengths

• Strong ambition for all pupils to achieve well.
• Consistent behaviour management leading to good pupil behaviour.
• Support for pupils with SEND is effective and well-targeted.
• High-quality reading and mathematics instruction.
• Strong sense of community and peer support among pupils.
• Engaging extracurricular activities that enhance pupil development.

Areas for Improvement

• Gaps in pupils’ knowledge due to lack of strong links with prior learning in a few subjects.
• Inconsistencies in how the curriculum is delivered across all subjects.

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 Kettering Park Junior Academy attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.3% 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, 0.3% of pupils at Kettering Park Junior 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 Kettering Park Junior Academy had 20.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 30.8% 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, 12.7% of pupils at Kettering Park Junior Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.3% 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 Kettering Park Junior Academy received £5,933 and spent £5,646 for each of its 357 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,202,000 (£3,366 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Inmat, income was £6,569 and spending £6,333 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 Kettering · North Northamptonshire local authority: places and applications

Kettering Park Junior Academy is part of Inmat, which runs 13 schools. The nearest others:

• Kettering Park Infant Academy Kettering
• Hall Meadow Primary School Kettering
• Rothwell Junior School Kettering
• Rothwell Victoria Infant School Kettering
• Little Harrowden Community Primary School Wellingborough
• Wollaston Primary School Wellingborough
• Standens Barn Primary School Northampton
• Kingsley Primary School Northampton
• The Abbey Primary School Northampton
• Ashby Fields Primary School Daventry

What is Kettering Park Junior Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Kettering Park Junior Academy is Good, from an inspection in April 2024.

When was Kettering Park Junior Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Kettering Park Junior Academy was last inspected in April 2024.

How many pupils does Kettering Park Junior Academy have?

Kettering Park Junior Academy has 347 pupils on roll.

What age range does Kettering Park Junior Academy cover?

Kettering Park Junior Academy for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Kettering Park Junior Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Kettering Park Junior Academy?

Kettering Park Junior Academy is at Wood Street, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN16 9SE.