Kirkstead Junior Academy

Kirkstead Junior Academy is performing well overall, receiving a 'Good' rating across key areas including the quality of education, behavior and attitudes, and personal development. Notable strengths include an ambitious staff commitment to pupil achievement, with strong support for those with special educational needs. Parents express satisfaction with the school's progress and the positive transformation under current leadership. Given that this was the school's first inspection, having previously been inadequate before becoming an academy, the improvements are significant and appreciated by the community.

Strengths

• Leadership and management are outstanding.
• Strong parental support and community involvement.
• Pupils are immersed in their learning and take pride in their work.
• Curriculum planning includes small steps of knowledge in each subject.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND.
• High expectations for all pupils from staff.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils do not consistently recall prior learning and connect it with new knowledge.
• Limited opportunities for all pupils to explore a wider range of talents and interests beyond the curriculum.

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 Kirkstead Junior Academy attended 93.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.0% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Kirkstead 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 Kirkstead Junior Academy had 20.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 31.0% 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, 10.2% of pupils at Kirkstead Junior Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.4% 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 Kirkstead Junior Academy received £8,166 and spent £7,938 for each of its 201 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £114,000 (£568 per pupil).

Across all 35 schools of Flying High Trust, income was £7,225 and spending £7,388 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 Bolsover · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications

Kirkstead Junior Academy is part of Flying High Trust, which runs 38 schools. The nearest others:

• John King Infant Academy Pinxton
• Longwood Infant Academy Nottingham
• The Green Flying High Academy Alfreton
• Mapplewells Primary and Nursery School Sutton-In-Ashfield
• Greenwood Primary and Nursery School Nottingham
• Leamington Primary and Nursery Academy Sutton-In-Ashfield
• Forest Glade Primary School Sutton-In-Ashfield
• Hillside Primary and Nursery School Nottingham
• The Flying High Academy Mansfield
• Hucknall Flying High Academy Nottingham

What is Kirkstead Junior Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Kirkstead Junior Academy is Good, from an inspection in September 2022.

When was Kirkstead Junior Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Kirkstead Junior Academy was last inspected in September 2022.

How many pupils does Kirkstead Junior Academy have?

Kirkstead Junior Academy has 216 pupils on roll.

What age range does Kirkstead Junior Academy cover?

Kirkstead Junior Academy for pupils aged 7 to 11.

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

In 2025, 93% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Kirkstead Junior Academy?

Kirkstead Junior Academy is at Kirkstead Road, Pinxton, NG16 6NA.