The Kingsbrook School

The Kingsbrook School is a new secondary free school, opened in 2022 and part of the Insignis Academy Trust. This was its first routine inspection, and it currently has pupils in Years 7 to 9. Inspectors found a calm, orderly and respectful school where pupils are proud of their school, feel safe and achieve well in most subjects. Personal development is a standout strength: character education is impressive, pupils are exceptionally well prepared for life in modern Britain, and they benefit from an exceptional range of extra-curricular activities, trips and leadership opportunities. The school also supports pupils with SEND well, including through its inclusion unit, The ARC. The curriculum is ambitious, especially at key stage 3, and staff have been well trained in teaching methods that help pupils learn. Reading is promoted successfully, and governance and trust support are strong. Safeguarding is effective. However, assessment is not consistently used well enough to check that pupils understand important concepts in depth before moving on, so some pupils struggle to recall and explain key ideas accurately. Attendance is mostly good, but absence rates for some disadvantaged pupils remain too high, meaning they do not benefit fully from the school’s high-quality education. The school was graded good for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management, with personal development judged outstanding; no overall effectiveness grade is given under the current framework.

Strengths

• Impressive character education threaded through all aspects of school life
• Exceptional range of extra-curricular activities, trips and leadership opportunities
• Pupils are exceptionally well prepared to become confident and successful citizens
• Strong support for pupils with SEND, including through The ARC inclusion unit
• Ambitious key stage 3 curriculum developed with specialist trust expertise
• Calm and orderly environment with clear routines and high behaviour expectations
• Pupils are safe, respectful and have positive attitudes to learning
• Effective support for reading, including for pupils who struggle to catch up
• Strong governance and valuable trust support for leaders and staff
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers do not always check carefully that pupils have understood important concepts before moving on
• Some pupils struggle to recall and explain key concepts and ideas accurately
• Absence rates for some disadvantaged pupils are too high

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 The Kingsbrook School attended 91.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 5.8% of pupils at The Kingsbrook School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 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 The Kingsbrook School had 17.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 19.1% of pupils at The Kingsbrook School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 10.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has a SEN unit with 25 pupils.

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 The Kingsbrook School received £8,834 and spent £9,269 for each of its 570 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £147,000 (£258 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Insignis Academy Trust, income was £7,747 and spending £7,907 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 Aylesbury · Buckinghamshire local authority: places and applications

The Kingsbrook School is part of Insignis Academy Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School Aylesbury
• The Mandeville School Aylesbury
• Ashmead Combined School Aylesbury
• Princes Risborough School Princes Risborough
• Sir William Ramsay School High Wycombe

What is The Kingsbrook School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Kingsbrook School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was The Kingsbrook School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Kingsbrook School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does The Kingsbrook School have?

The Kingsbrook School has 759 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Kingsbrook School cover?

The Kingsbrook School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

Where is The Kingsbrook School?

The Kingsbrook School is at Armstrongs Fields, Broughton, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP22 7BR.