Ethelbert Road Primary School

Ethelbert Road Primary is a highly effective, welcoming school where pupils are proud, happy and safe. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2014, when it was previously judged outstanding and then exempt from routine inspection. Inspectors found behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision to be outstanding, with the quality of education judged good. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. Pupils benefit from strong relationships, high expectations and a calm, purposeful atmosphere. Children get an excellent start in Reception, reading has a very high priority, and pupils develop as fluent, confident readers. The curriculum is rich, ambitious and well sequenced for all pupils, including those with SEND, and pupils conduct themselves exceptionally well. The school also provides a wide range of enrichment opportunities and has a very positive staff culture, with skilled governors and leaders who check the impact of their work carefully. The main area for improvement is that, in some subjects, subject-specific learning within cross-curricular work is not clearly defined. As a result, pupils are sometimes unclear about what they are learning or have learned, and are not always confident in drawing on prior learning to support new work. Leaders should ensure that subject-specific learning intentions are clear so pupils understand what they are learning and why.

Strengths

• Pupils are proud of their school and enjoy a welcoming, friendly environment.
• There is an extremely calm, purposeful atmosphere with happy pupils in every class.
• Pupils’ well-being is paramount, and pupils feel safe.
• Staff know pupils very well and build strong, trusting relationships.
• Expectations are very high for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Pupils are polite, kind and look out for each other.
• Behaviour and attitudes to learning are exemplary, and pupils achieve highly.
• Children in Reception settle exceptionally well and get an excellent start to school.
• Speech, language and communication skills are sharply prioritised in early years.
• Reading has high priority, and phonics is taught very effectively.
• Pupils who may fall behind are given additional help to catch up quickly.
• The curriculum is rich, ambitious and well sequenced from Reception to Year 6.
• Pupils with SEND are identified accurately and supported well in lessons.
• Pupils demonstrate the school’s values exceptionally well.
• Pupils have a very strong sense of acceptance and understand differences between people.
• The school provides a broad range of visits, visitors and clubs to enrich pupils’ learning.
• Staff are exceptionally positive about workload, well-being and professional development.
• There is a very strong culture of mutual support and teamwork.
• Governors are exceptionally skilled and experienced and share the school’s vision.
• Leaders constantly check the impact of the school’s work and collaborate effectively.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In some curriculum subjects, subject-specific learning within cross-curricular work is not clearly defined.
• Pupils are sometimes unclear about what they are learning or have learned in a specific subject.
• Pupils are not always confident in drawing on prior learning to help with new learning when subject-specific intentions are unclear.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Ethelbert Road Primary School attended 97.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 2.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at Ethelbert Road Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Ethelbert Road Primary School had 20.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 9.1% of pupils at Ethelbert Road Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Ethelbert Road Primary School received £5,755 and spent £5,946 for each of its 209 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £89,000 (£427 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Faversham · Kent local authority: places and applications

What is Ethelbert Road Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ethelbert Road Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Ethelbert Road Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ethelbert Road Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Ethelbert Road Primary School have?

Ethelbert Road Primary School has 209 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ethelbert Road Primary School cover?

Ethelbert Road Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Ethelbert Road Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 79% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Ethelbert Road Primary School?

Ethelbert Road Primary School is at Ethelbert Road, Faversham, Kent, ME13 8SQ.