Kensington Junior Academy

Kensington Junior Academy has been assessed as a good school overall during its first inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school demonstrates a strong commitment to fostering a positive learning environment where pupils feel happy and safe. High expectations are held for behavior, and pupils are encouraged to develop valuable skills in collaboration and resilience. While there are notable strengths in the curriculum, particularly in core subjects like reading and mathematics, there are areas of concern regarding the retention of knowledge in some subjects and pupils' understanding of different cultures and religions.

Strengths

• A welcoming and friendly school environment.
• Pupils embody the school values of inspire, believe, and achieve.
• Strong reading culture with well-matched reading materials.
• Effective pastoral support and a sense of community.
• High expectations for pupil behavior and well-mannered conduct.
• Ambitious curriculum planning linked to meaningful questions.
• Strong personal development programs in place.

Areas for Improvement

• Strategies for helping pupils retain knowledge are not sufficiently effective.
• Pupils' understanding of different religions and cultures is fragile.

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 Kensington Junior Academy attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.0% 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 Kensington 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 Kensington Junior Academy had 23.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 28.3% 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, 17.4% of pupils at Kensington Junior Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.9% 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 Kensington Junior Academy received £8,154 and spent £8,266 for each of its 182 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £128,000 (£703 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of Tapestry Learning Partnership, income was £8,269 and spending £8,367 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 Ilkeston · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications

Kensington Junior Academy is part of Tapestry Learning Partnership, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• Djanogly Strelley Academy Nottingham
• Laceyfields Academy Heanor
• Langley Mill Academy Nottingham
• Djanogly Northgate Academy Nottingham
• Springfield Academy Nottingham
• Djanogly City Academy Nottingham
• Djanogly Sherwood Academy Nottingham
• Chellaston Academy Derby
• City of Derby Academy Derby
• Morton Primary Academy Alfreton

What is Kensington Junior Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Kensington Junior Academy is Good, from an inspection in May 2024.

When was Kensington Junior Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Kensington Junior Academy was last inspected in May 2024.

How many pupils does Kensington Junior Academy have?

Kensington Junior Academy has 178 pupils on roll.

What age range does Kensington Junior Academy cover?

Kensington Junior Academy for pupils aged 7 to 11.

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

In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Kensington Junior Academy?

Kensington Junior Academy is at St John's Road, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 5PA.