UK Schools
Kempston Academy
Kempston Academy is a mixed secondary academy in Bedford, Bedford Borough Council, teaching 773 pupils aged 11 to 18. It was last inspected by Ofsted in October 2024. In 2024–2025, GCSE Attainment 8 was 40.3 (England 46.1). The 2025–2026 school year runs from 2 September 2025 to 17 July 2026.
Ofsted inspection
The latest published Ofsted judgement for Kempston Academy.
Term dates & holidays 2025–2026
Autumn, spring and summer terms, half-terms, INSET days and bank holidays for Kempston Academy.
- 1 Teacher Training Day
- 2 Autumn Term starts (Year 7 only)
- 3 Autumn Term starts (All year groups)
- 27–31 Autumn Half Term
- 28 Teacher Training Day
- 19 Autumn Term ends
- 22–31 Christmas Holiday
- 25 Christmas Day (Bank Holiday)
- 26 Boxing Day (Bank Holiday)
- 1–2 Christmas Holiday
- 1 New Year's Day (Bank Holiday)
- 5 Teacher Training Day
- 6 Spring Term starts
- 16–20 Spring Half Term
- 27 Spring Term ends
- 30–31 Easter Holiday
- 1–10 Easter Holiday
- 3 Good Friday (Bank Holiday)
- 6 Easter Monday (Bank Holiday)
- 13 Teacher Training Day
- 14 Summer Term starts
- 4 Early May Bank Holiday
- 25–29 Summer Half Term
- 25 Spring Bank Holiday
- 17 Summer Term ends
- 18–31 Summer Holiday
- 20 Teacher Training Day
- 1–31 Summer Holiday
- 31 Summer Bank Holiday
Key dates (2025–2026)
- Teacher Training Day Sep 1, 2025 Inset Day
- Autumn Term starts (Year 7 only) Sep 2, 2025 Term
- Autumn Term starts (All year groups) Sep 3, 2025 Term
- Autumn Half Term Oct 27-31, 2025 Holiday
- Teacher Training Day Nov 28, 2025 Inset Day
- Autumn Term ends Dec 19, 2025 Term
- Christmas Holiday Dec 22, 2025 - Jan 2, 2026 Holiday
- Teacher Training Day Jan 5, 2026 Inset Day
- Spring Term starts Jan 6, 2026 Term
- Spring Half Term Feb 16-20, 2026 Holiday
- Spring Term ends Mar 27, 2026 Term
- Easter Holiday Mar 30 - Apr 10, 2026 Holiday
- Teacher Training Day Apr 13, 2026 Inset Day
- Summer Term starts Apr 14, 2026 Term
- Summer Half Term May 25-29, 2026 Holiday
- Summer Term ends Jul 17, 2026 Term
- Teacher Training Day Jul 20, 2026 Inset Day
- Summer Holiday Jul 18 - Aug 31, 2026 Holiday
- New Year's Day (Bank Holiday) Jan 1, 2026 Holiday
- Good Friday (Bank Holiday) Apr 3, 2026 Holiday
- Easter Monday (Bank Holiday) Apr 6, 2026 Holiday
- Early May Bank Holiday May 4, 2026 Holiday
- Spring Bank Holiday May 25, 2026 Holiday
- Summer Bank Holiday Aug 31, 2026 Holiday
- Christmas Day (Bank Holiday) Dec 25, 2025 Holiday
- Boxing Day (Bank Holiday) Dec 26, 2025 Holiday
Exam results & performance
The measures that carry the most signal. Open a section to compare Kempston Academy with Bedford Borough Council and England.
Key stage 4 (GCSE) 40.3 Attainment 8 score
Year 11 results across eight qualifications, including English and maths.
This school Bedford Borough Council England
16 to 18 (A level & sixth form) 3 A level students
Results for students finishing post-16 study.
Attendance 24.4% Persistently absent pupils
Absence across the whole school year.
This school Bedford Borough Council England
What pupils do after GCSEs 81% In education, apprenticeship or work
Still in education, an apprenticeship or work a year after key stage 4.
This school Bedford Borough Council England
What students do after 16 to 18 study 64% In education, apprenticeship or work
Destinations the year after finishing post-16 study.
This school Bedford Borough Council England
About this data source & caveats
Progress 8 is not published for 2024–2025. This year group missed their key stage 2 tests in 2020, so there is no baseline to measure progress from.
Attendance comparisons are pupil-weighted averages we calculate from every school’s published absence figure — the DfE absence file has no local authority or England rows of its own.
We show the headline measures only. Threshold and curriculum-policy figures — grade 4+ in English and maths, EBacc entry and points, the per-subject key stage 2 breakdown, academic and applied splits at 16 to 18 — reflect admissions and curriculum choices more than school quality, so they are left to GOV.UK. Progress measures matter most because they compare pupils with others who started at the same level; attainment on its own largely tracks a school’s intake.
Figures are the Department for Education’s official published results for Kempston Academy. Results are suppressed where too few pupils were entered. England figures are the average for state-funded schools. “Top x%” is this school’s position among all schools in England with a published figure for that measure — the DfE does not publish league table rankings.
Source: Compare school and college performance, Department for Education. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Location & catchment area
Indicative only. This is a nearest-school (Voronoi) estimate — the area closer to Kempston Academy than to any other secondary school. Real admissions depend on the school’s own policy (straight-line distance, siblings, faith, feeder schools and available places) and change each year. Always confirm with the school and local authority admissions team.