The Downs Church of England Primary School

General Information

Address: Owen Square, Walmer, Deal, CT14 7TL
Phone: 01304372486
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Ms Natalie Luxford
Age range: 4-11 years
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Church of England
Number of pupils: 316
School capacity: 420
Pupils eligible for free school meals: 113
% eligible for free school meals: 35.8%
Nursery provision: No

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.

Behaviour information for this school has not been added yet.

Attendance

Overall absence: 6.0%
Persistently absent pupils: 18.2%
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.

SEN provision information for this school has not been added yet.

Pupils on SEN Support: 13.0%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 1.9%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Autistic spectrum disorder: 25 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 11 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 4 pupils
Physical disability: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

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

Behaviour

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Openness

–

Teaching Quality

–

School Ethos

–

Ability to Deal with Problems

–

Headteacher Approval

–

Would recommend –

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Educational Attainment

Good 2023 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.

Educational attainment data for this school has not been added yet.

View full Ofsted inspection report

Ranked #24 of 29 Ofsted Rating schools of this type in the area

#22St Richard's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#23Temple Ewell Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#24The Downs Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#25Vale View Community SchoolGood
#26White Cliffs Primary and Nursery 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.

#1Eythorne Elvington Community Primary SchoolOutstanding
#2Green Park Community Primary SchoolOutstanding
#3Kingsdown and Ringwould Church of England Primary SchoolOutstanding
#4Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#5Aycliffe Community Primary SchoolGood
#6Aylesham Primary SchoolGood
#7Capel-le-Ferne Primary SchoolGood
#8Charlton Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#9Deal Parochial Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#10Eastry Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#11Goodnestone Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#12Hornbeam Primary SchoolGood
#13Northbourne Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#14Preston Primary SchoolGood
#15Priory Fields SchoolGood
#16Sandown SchoolGood
#17Shepherdswell Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#18Sholden Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#19St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, AyleshamGood
#20St Martin's SchoolGood
#21St Mary's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#22St Richard's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#23Temple Ewell Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#24The Downs Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#25Vale View Community SchoolGood
#26White Cliffs Primary and Nursery SchoolGood
#27Whitfield Aspen SchoolGood
#28Wingham Primary SchoolGood
#29Worth Primary SchoolGood

Financials

Financial summary information for this school has not been added yet.

Spending per pupil: £6,855 (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.

Ranked #21 of 36 Spending Per Pupil schools of this type in the area

#19Priory Fields School£6,938
#20Preston Primary School£6,885
#21The Downs Church of England Primary School£6,855
#22St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Aylesham£6,822
#23Northbourne Church of England Primary School£6,763

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.

#1Goodnestone Church of England Primary School£12,500
#2Whitfield Aspen School£12,207
#3Aycliffe Community Primary School£11,522
#4Nonington Church of England Primary School£10,933
#5St Mary's Catholic Primary School£10,006
#6Worth Primary School£9,800
#7Eythorne Elvington Community Primary School£8,581
#8White Cliffs Primary and Nursery School£8,572
#9Lydden Primary School£8,427
#10Dover, St Mary's Church of England Primary School£8,250
#11Eastry Church of England Primary School£8,133
#12Langdon Primary School£7,885
#13Sholden Church of England Primary School£7,736
#14Deal Parochial Church of England Primary School£7,498
#15Green Park Community Primary School£7,309
#16Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School£7,209
#17St Margaret's-at-Cliffe Primary School£7,190
#18Hornbeam Primary School£7,102
#19Priory Fields School£6,938
#20Preston Primary School£6,885
#21The Downs Church of England Primary School£6,855
#22St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Aylesham£6,822
#23Northbourne Church of England Primary School£6,763
#24Capel-le-Ferne Primary School£6,649
#25Sandown School£6,563
#26Wingham Primary School£6,562
#27River Primary School£6,545
#28Charlton Church of England Primary School£6,490
#29Shepherdswell Church of England Primary School£6,403
#30Warden House Primary School£6,298
#31Temple Ewell Church of England Primary School£6,227
#32St Martin's School£5,866
#33Vale View Community School£5,835
#34St Richard's Catholic Primary School£5,734
#35Kingsdown and Ringwould Church of England Primary School£5,706
#36Aylesham Primary School£3,934

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