The Sittingbourne School

Swale · ME10 4NL

General information Secondary School · 11-19 years Who goes here 1556 pupils, 39.4% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN Resourced provision · 30.7% on SEN support Behaviour 10.8% absence rate Staff 16.4% turnover Financials £8,046 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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The Sittingbourne School

General Information

Address: Swanstree Avenue, Sittingbourne, ME10 4NL – View on map
Phone: 01795472449
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Nick Smith
Age range: 11-19 years
Demand for places (Year 7, September 2026): 187 families put it first for 275 places – 7 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 8 · 2024 8 · 2025 8 · 2026 7
Sixth form: Yes
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: None
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

1556 pupils out of 1350 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 545
% eligible for free school meals: 39.4%
Pupil mix: 4 in 10 (similar to the Swale average)
English as an additional language: 7% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 16.4% a year (Swale 18%, typical in England 15.5%)
Where they went: about 50% moved to another school, 50% 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

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: 155 (1.3 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 189 (1.6 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 83 (0.7 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.8)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state secondary 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: 10.8%
Persistently absent pupils: 31.3%
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

Resourced provision for Speech, language and communicationHearing impairment 60 places · 82 pupils at the last count

Places are usually for children with an EHC Plan and are arranged through the council, not the normal school application.

Pupils on SEN Support: 30.7%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 7.7%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Social, emotional and mental health: 190 pupils
Other difficulty or disability: 72 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 65 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 64 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 51 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 66 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 14 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 12 pupils
Other difficulty or disability: 12 pupils
Hearing impairment: 6 pupils

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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Would recommend –

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.

Attainment 8 score: 34.1
Compared with the area: 8.2 points below the Swale average (42.3)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well below (−7.4 points against an expected 41.5)
Grade 4+ in English and maths: 48% (Swale 59%, England 65%) Broadly steady
Data year: 2024/25

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

GCSE results over time

This schoolSwale averageEngland↘ Falling Down 2.5 points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 8.2 points below the Swale average (42.3).

About the Attainment 8 score

Attainment 8 measures a pupil's average result across 8 GCSE-equivalent qualifications (English and maths count double). It shows how pupils performed, not how much progress they made getting there - a school with a higher score doesn't necessarily add more value, since pupils often arrive with different starting points. Progress 8 is the measure designed to account for that, but it currently can't be calculated for any school for the two most recent academic years, due to a nationwide gap in the data caused by COVID-19 disruption to Key Stage 2 testing.

7th of 8 secondary schools in Swale for Attainment 8

#5The Abbey School35.5
#6Fulston Manor School35.3
#7The Sittingbourne School34.1
#8Leigh Academy Minster28.4

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

Rank School Score

#1Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School65.1
#2Borden Grammar School63.2
#3Highsted Grammar School61.1
#4Westlands School40.6
#5The Abbey School35.5
#6Fulston Manor School35.3
#7The Sittingbourne School34.1
#8Leigh Academy Minster28.4

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 85.0%
Went into further education: 78.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About leaver destinations

This shows where a school's Year 11 leavers were recorded the following year - in a "sustained" destination means in education, an apprenticeship, or employment for at least 6 months, not just enrolled briefly. It's a different picture from exam results alone, and can highlight schools that support pupils well beyond just their GCSE grades.

GCSE Subjects Offered

Maths (General)
English Language
English Literature
Statistics
Science Double Award
Geography
History
Physics (General)
Chemistry (General)
Biology
Art & Design
French Language
Computer Science
Photography
Speech & Drama
Polish

About this subject list

This isn't the school's own description of its curriculum - it's real DfE exam entry data, showing which GCSE subjects this school's pupils were actually entered for in 2024/25. A subject not appearing here may still be taught but had no pupils entered that year, so treat this as a helpful guide rather than a complete guarantee - it's worth confirming directly with the school for the year your child would actually study.

View full Ofsted inspection report

3rd of 5 secondary schools in Swale for Ofsted rating

#1Highsted Grammar SchoolGood
#2Queen Elizabeth's Grammar SchoolGood
#3The Sittingbourne SchoolGood
#4Westlands SchoolGood
#5Fulston Manor SchoolRequires improvement

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

#1Highsted Grammar SchoolGood
#2Queen Elizabeth's Grammar SchoolGood
#3The Sittingbourne SchoolGood
#4Westlands SchoolGood
#5Fulston Manor SchoolRequires improvement

Financials

Spending per pupil: £8,046 (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.

2nd of 9 secondary schools in Swale for spending per pupil

#1EKC Sheppey Secondary£11,904
#2The Sittingbourne School£8,046
#3The Abbey School£7,995
#4Leigh Academy Minster£7,897

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

#1EKC Sheppey Secondary£11,904
#2The Sittingbourne School£8,046
#3The Abbey School£7,995
#4Leigh Academy Minster£7,897
#5Westlands School£7,250
#6Fulston Manor School£7,001
#7Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School£6,966
#8Borden Grammar School£6,881
#9Highsted Grammar School£6,466

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

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General Information

Who goes here

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Behaviour

Across Kent: suspensions by reason

Attendance

SEN

Most common needs - SEN Support

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Educational Attainment

Attainment 8 ranking

Leaver Destinations ?

GCSE Subjects Offered ?

Ofsted Rating ranking

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered