Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School

Ashford · TN23 1ND

General information Primary School · 4-11 years Who goes here 418 pupils, 28.5% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 13.4% on SEN support Behaviour 5.0% absence rate Staff 6.3% turnover Financials £6,250 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School

General Information

Address: Western Avenue, Ashford, TN23 1ND – View on map
Phone: 01233625531
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Nicola Hirst
Age range: 4-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 50 families put it first for 56 places – 9 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 11 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 9
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Church of England
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

418 pupils out of 420 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 119
% eligible for free school meals: 28.5%
Pupil mix: 7 in 10 (more mixed than the Ashford average)
English as an additional language: 30% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 6.3% a year (Ashford 16.7%, typical in England 13.9%) Low turnover
Where they went: about 57% moved to another school, 43% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. "Low turnover" means it's among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Kent: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 21 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 1
Suspensions for bullying: 32 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 1 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Kent (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 5.0%
Persistently absent pupils: 13.6%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 13.4%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 2.2%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Moderate learning difficulty: 15 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 14 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 12 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 12 pupils
Other difficulty or disability: 3 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 4 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 3 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Social, emotional and mental health: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2016 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 56% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 2% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 6 percentage points below the Ashford average (62%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (3-year average 60% against an expected 65%)
3-year average (expected standard): 60%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 82% · Writing 72% · Maths 72% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 65%
Average test scores: reading 104, maths 104
Based on: 57 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolAshford averageEngland↘ Falling Down 9 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 6 percentage points below the Ashford average (62%).

Year 6 SATs: 26th of 41 junior and primary schools in the area

=23The John Wallis Church of England Academy61%
#25Aldington Primary School58%
#26Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School56%
#27Egerton Church of England Primary School55%
=28Mersham Primary School52%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Charing Church of England Primary School93%
#2Smarden Primary School89%
#3Brabourne Church of England Primary School87%
#4Pluckley Church of England Primary School82%
#5Lady Joanna Thornhill Endowed Primary School81%
#6Wittersham Church of England Primary School79%
#7Great Chart Primary School77%
#8Finberry Primary School76%
#9East Stour Primary School75%
#10Woodchurch Church of England Primary School74%
=11Rolvenden Primary School73%
=11Willesborough Junior School73%
=13Challock Primary School67%
=13Furley Park Primary Academy67%
=13Repton Manor Primary School67%
#16Kennington Church of England Academy64%
=17Beaver Green Primary School63%
=17Godinton Primary School63%
=17St Teresa's Catholic Primary School63%
=20Brook Community Primary School62%
=20Hamstreet Primary Academy62%
=20Smeeth Community Primary School62%
=23Kingsnorth Church of England Primary School61%
=23The John Wallis Church of England Academy61%
#25Aldington Primary School58%
#26Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School56%
#27Egerton Church of England Primary School55%
=28Mersham Primary School52%
=28St Michael's Church of England Primary School52%
=28The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School52%
#31Victoria Road Primary School50%
=32Bethersden Primary School46%
=32Chilham, St Mary's Church of England Primary School46%
=32Chilmington Green Primary School46%
=32Tenterden Church of England Junior School46%
#36High Halden Church of England Primary School42%
#37Phoenix Community Primary School41%
=38Goat Lees Primary School40%
=38St Simon of England Roman Catholic Primary School, Ashford40%
#40Ashford Oaks Community Primary School34%
#41John Mayne Church of England Primary School27%

View full Ofsted inspection report

5th of 31 primary schools in Ashford for Ofsted rating

#3Aldington Primary SchoolGood
#4Ashford Oaks Community Primary SchoolGood
#5Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#6Beaver Green Primary SchoolGood
#7Bethersden Primary SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Challock Primary SchoolOutstanding
#2Great Chart Primary SchoolOutstanding
#3Aldington Primary SchoolGood
#4Ashford Oaks Community Primary SchoolGood
#5Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#6Beaver Green Primary SchoolGood
#7Bethersden Primary SchoolGood
#8Brabourne Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#9Brook Community Primary SchoolGood
#10Chilham, St Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#11Chilmington Green Primary SchoolGood
#12Egerton Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#13Finberry Primary SchoolGood
#14Goat Lees Primary SchoolGood
#15Godinton Primary SchoolGood
#16Hamstreet Primary AcademyGood
#17High Halden Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#18Kingsnorth Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#19Mersham Primary SchoolGood
#20Phoenix Community Primary SchoolGood
#21Pluckley Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#22Repton Manor Primary SchoolGood
#23Rolvenden Primary SchoolGood
#24Smarden Primary SchoolGood
#25Smeeth Community Primary SchoolGood
#26St Teresa's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#27Tenterden Infant SchoolGood
#28The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolGood
#29Victoria Road Primary SchoolGood
#30Wittersham Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#31Woodchurch Church of England Primary SchoolGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £6,250 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

31st of 38 primary schools in Ashford for spending per pupil

#29Godinton Primary School£6,281
#30Great Chart Primary School£6,277
#31Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School£6,250
#32Hamstreet Primary Academy£6,218
#33Challock Primary School£6,114

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Brook Community Primary School£9,208
#2Chilham, St Mary's Church of England Primary School£9,025
#3Phoenix Community Primary School£8,565
#4Ashford Oaks Community Primary School£8,498
#5High Halden Church of England Primary School£8,466
#6Tenterden Infant School£8,223
#7Bethersden Primary School£8,024
#8Pluckley Church of England Primary School£7,809
#9Kingsnorth Church of England Primary School£7,573
#10Rolvenden Primary School£7,549
#11Woodchurch Church of England Primary School£7,310
#12Goat Lees Primary School£7,280
#13Brabourne Church of England Primary School£7,195
#14Wittersham Church of England Primary School£7,177
#15Charing Church of England Primary School£7,047
#16The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School£6,995
#17East Stour Primary School£6,949
#18Chilmington Green Primary School£6,751
#19Repton Manor Primary School£6,740
#20Victoria Road Primary School£6,739
#21Smeeth Community Primary School£6,726
#22Mersham Primary School£6,573
#23John Mayne Church of England Primary School£6,560
#24Finberry Primary School£6,517
#25Egerton Church of England Primary School£6,468
#26St Michael's Church of England Primary School£6,443
#27Beaver Green Primary School£6,372
#28Lady Joanna Thornhill Endowed Primary School£6,286
#29Godinton Primary School£6,281
#30Great Chart Primary School£6,277
#31Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School£6,250
#32Hamstreet Primary Academy£6,218
#33Challock Primary School£6,114
#34Aldington Primary School£5,795
#35Smarden Primary School£5,680
#36St Simon of England Roman Catholic Primary School, Ashford£5,500
#37Furley Park Primary Academy£5,499
#38St Teresa's Catholic Primary School£5,396

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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