Kirby Primary Academy
Halstead Road, Kirby Cross, Frinton-on-Sea, CO13 0LW
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- REACH2 ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Debbie Byles
- Religious ethos
- None
- Sponsor
- REAch2 Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Clacton
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 207
- URN
- 139806
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01255674056
About this school
Kirby Primary Academy is a primary academy in Frinton-on-Sea. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 207 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 26 February 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 29 | 30 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 55% | 30% | 63% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 69% | 57% | 80% |
| Expected standard in maths | 69% | 40% | 73% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 69% | 43% | 50% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 100.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.20 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Kirby Primary 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 | Essex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 55% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 30% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 63% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 207 |
| 2023/24 | 207 |
| 2024/25 | 209 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Kirby Primary Academy compares
Kirby Primary Academy ranked 225th of 388 primary schools in Essex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 47% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 63% | 5.3% | 24.9% | 207 | — |
| Frinton-on-Sea Primary School | 47% | 5.4% | 15.8% | 211 | 1.0 miles |
| Lift Hamford | 55% | 6.2% | 33.7% | 393 | 1.1 miles |
| Walton on the Naze Primary School | 38% | 7.8% | 56.3% | 188 | 2.4 miles |
| Rolph Church of England Primary School and Nursery | 27% | 5.8% | 16.6% | 231 | 2.6 miles |
| Holland Haven Primary School | 55% | 4.9% | 25.3% | 420 | 2.9 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)
- 24.88%
- English as an additional language
- 1%
- Overall absence
- 5.32%
- Persistent absence
- 10.93%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Frinton-on-Sea Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Frinton-on-Sea
-
Lift Hamford1.1 miles
Primary · Walton on the Naze
-
Walton on the Naze Primary School2.4 miles
Primary · Walton on the Naze
-
Rolph Church of England Primary School and Nursery2.6 miles
Primary · Clacton-on-Sea
-
Holland Haven Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Clacton-on-Sea
Other schools in Frinton-on-Sea
- Frinton-on-Sea Primary School Primary
- Lift Tendring Secondary
- St Philomena's School Independent schools
Common questions
- What year groups does Kirby Primary Academy teach?
- Kirby Primary Academy teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Frinton-on-Sea.
- Who is the headteacher of Kirby Primary Academy?
- The headteacher of Kirby Primary Academy is Mrs Debbie Byles, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Kirby Primary Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Kirby Primary 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 Kirby Primary Academy?
- Kirby Primary Academy has 207 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Kirby Primary Academy full?
- Kirby Primary Academy has capacity for 210 pupils and 207 on roll (99%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Kirby Primary Academy a faith school?
- No. Kirby Primary Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Kirby Primary Academy have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Kirby Primary Academy as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Kirby Primary Academy?
- Kirby Primary Academy is part of REACH2 ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Kirby Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 55% in 2022/23 and 63% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Kirby Primary Academy rank locally?
- Kirby Primary Academy ranked 225th of 388 primary schools in Essex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 47% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Kirby Primary Academy's absence rate?
- Kirby Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 5.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Kirby Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Kirby Primary Academy's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
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.