Kents Hill Infant Academy
Kents Hill Road, Benfleet, SS7 5PS
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- SOUTH ESSEX ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Gemma Thurston
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- South Essex Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Castle Point
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 238
- Pupils on roll
- 239
- URN
- 137395
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01268792500
About this school
Kents Hill Infant Academy is a primary academy in Benfleet. It teaches children aged 2 to 7 and has 239 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Trends over time
How Kents Hill Infant Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 268 |
| 2023/24 | 247 |
| 2024/25 | 243 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Kents Hill Infant Academy compares
Its absence rate was lower than 69% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 4.6% | 10.5% | 239 | — |
| Kents Hill Junior School | 77% | 5.2% | 18.4% | 343 | 0.0 miles |
| Holy Family Catholic Primary School | 43% | 6.8% | 16.4% | 216 | 0.1 miles |
| Jotmans Hall Primary School | 67% | 5.3% | 17.1% | 304 | 0.5 miles |
| South Benfleet Primary School | 78% | 3.9% | 7.1% | 414 | 0.6 miles |
| Kingston Primary School | 90% | 5.2% | 9.5% | 210 | 0.7 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 10.48%
- English as an additional language
- 2.9%
- Overall absence
- 4.63%
- Persistent absence
- 8.5%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Kents Hill Junior School0.0 miles
Primary · Benfleet
-
Holy Family Catholic Primary School0.1 miles
Primary · Benfleet
-
Jotmans Hall Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Benfleet
-
South Benfleet Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Benfleet
-
Kingston Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Thundersley
Other schools in Benfleet
- Hadleigh Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Hadleigh Junior School Primary
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School Primary
- Jotmans Hall Primary School Primary
- Kents Hill Junior School Primary
- Montgomerie Primary School Primary
- South Benfleet Primary School Primary
- The Robert Drake Primary School Primary
- Thundersley Primary School Primary
- Westwood Academy Primary
- Woodham Ley Primary School Primary
- The Appleton School Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does Kents Hill Infant Academy teach?
- Kents Hill Infant Academy teaches children aged 2 to 7. It is a primary school in Benfleet.
- Who is the headteacher of Kents Hill Infant Academy?
- The headteacher of Kents Hill Infant Academy is Mrs Gemma Thurston, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Kents Hill Infant Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Kents Hill Infant Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Kents Hill Infant Academy?
- Kents Hill Infant Academy has 239 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 7.
- Is Kents Hill Infant Academy full?
- Kents Hill Infant Academy has capacity for 238 pupils and 239 on roll (100%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Kents Hill Infant Academy a faith school?
- No. Kents Hill Infant Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Kents Hill Infant Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Kents Hill Infant Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Kents Hill Infant Academy?
- Kents Hill Infant Academy is part of SOUTH ESSEX ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is Kents Hill Infant Academy's absence rate?
- Kents Hill Infant Academy's overall absence rate is 4.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Kents Hill Infant Academy publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for Kents Hill Infant Academy. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.