Park Way Primary School
General Information
- Address: Park Way, Maidstone, ME15 7AH – View on map
- Phone: 01622753651
- Website: Visit school website
- Headteacher: Mrs Karen Dhanecha
- Age range: 4-11 years
- Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 25 families put it first for 45 places – 6 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 6 · 2024 7 · 2025 5 · 2026 6
- Sixth form: No
- Intake: Mixed
- Religious character: Does not apply
- Nursery provision: No
Who goes here
- Pupils eligible for free school meals: 106
- % eligible for free school meals: 34.5%
- Pupil mix: 7 in 10 (more mixed than the Maidstone average)
- English as an additional language: 34% (England 22%)
Staff
Teachers leaving each year
- Teacher turnover: 16.4% a year (Maidstone 16.4%, typical in England 13.9%)
- Where they went: about 17% moved to another school, 83% 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.
Behaviour
Awaiting Data
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: 5.5%
- Persistently absent pupils: 11.6%
- Data year: 2024/25
SEN
No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision
- Pupils on SEN Support: 7.2%
- Pupils with an EHC Plan: 1.0%
- Data year: 2025/26
Most common needs - SEN Support
- Speech, language and communications needs: 8 pupils
- Moderate learning difficulty: 5 pupils
- Social, emotional and mental health: 3 pupils
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 3 pupils
- Physical disability: 2 pupils
Most common needs - EHC Plan
- Social, emotional and mental health: 1 pupil
- Speech, language and communications needs: 1 pupil
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 1 pupil
These figures show the makeup of the school.
Educational Attainment
Good 2024 report
Year 6 SATs results
- Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 53% (England 62%)
- Reached the higher standard: 2% (England 8%)
- Compared with the area: 13 percentage points below the Maidstone average (66%)
- Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (3-year average 59% against an expected 63%)
- 3-year average (expected standard): 59%
- Expected standard by subject: Reading 78% · Writing 73% · Maths 67% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 76%
- Average test scores: reading 105, maths 102
- Based on: 45 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
Year 6 SATs: joint 36th of 44 junior and primary schools in the area
- #35Sutton Valence Primary School54%
- =36Hollingbourne Primary School53%
- =36Park Way Primary School53%
- #38Barming Primary School48%
- =39Boughton Monchelsea Primary School47%
Click to see the full ranking
View full Ofsted inspection report
22nd of 33 primary schools in Maidstone for Ofsted rating
- #20Madginford Primary SchoolGood
- #21Palace Wood Primary SchoolGood
- #22Park Way Primary SchoolGood
- #23Platts Heath Primary SchoolGood
- #24Sandling Primary SchoolGood
Click to see the full ranking
Financials
Spending per pupil: £6,178 (2024-25)
24th of 41 primary schools in Maidstone for spending per pupil
- #22Jubilee Primary School£6,329
- #23Palace Wood Primary School£6,292
- #24Park Way Primary School£6,178
- #25Barming Primary School£6,177
- #26Maidstone, St John's Church of England Primary School£6,147
Click to see the full ranking
View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)