Blean Primary School
Blean Primary School is a community school in Canterbury for pupils aged 3 to 11. It has 449 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for Blean Primary School is Outstanding, from an inspection in May 2022. In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Ofsted inspection: May 2022. KS2 results: 2025.
| Type | Primary / Community school |
| Age Range | 3-11 |
| Religion | Does not apply |
| Address | Whitstable Road Blean Canterbury Kent CT2 9ED |
| Phone | 01227471254 |
| Reference Number | 118356 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 449 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 46.33%
Girls: 53.67% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 9.1% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 31.2% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 29.9 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 29.7 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 31.8 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | 33 | 60 |
| 2 | 26 | 32 | 58 |
| 3 | 28 | 36 | 64 |
| 4 | 24 | 40 | 64 |
| 5 | 38 | 26 | 64 |
| 6 | 28 | 34 | 62 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 61.9% |
| White, Other | 13.6% |
| White & Asian | 4.5% |
| Mixed, Other | 4.2% |
| Chinese | 2.4% |
| Indian | 2% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 1.6% |
| White & Black (African) | 1.6% |
| Asian, Other | 1.6% |
| Unclassified | 0.9% |
| African | 0.9% |
| Pakistani | 0.4% |
| Irish | 0.2% |
Blean Primary School continues to demonstrate outstanding performance as confirmed in this recent inspection. Pupils exhibit a strong enthusiasm for learning, thrive in a nurturing environment, and enjoy excellent relationships with both staff and peers. The school's leadership is exceptional, characterized by a collective commitment among staff to provide the best educational experiences. With a broad and ambitious curriculum, students are well-prepared for their futures, emphasized by strong support for those with special educational needs.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Outstanding |
| Last Report Date | 08 Mar 2022 |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 08 Mar 2022 | School inspection |
| 01 Mar 2016 | Full inspection: |
| 28 Mar 2014 | Interim assessment |
| 05 Jul 2011 | Full inspection: |
| 23 Sep 2008 | Curriculum and development visit |
| 25 Sep 2007 | Full inspection: |
| 14 Oct 2002 | Full inspection |
Strengths
- Pupils thrive in an exceptional school environment.
- Leadership is inspiring and highly motivating.
- The curriculum is broad, ambitious, and well-designed.
- Pupils develop a love for reading from an early age.
- Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
How many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 80% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 25% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Average Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 109 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 108 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Progress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 4.6 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Writing | 3.4 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 4.4 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
How many students meet the standards
Sample
UnlockAverage Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
Sample
UnlockProgress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
Sample
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See how Blean Primary School ranks locally and nationally. Percentile rankings against every other school, historic result charts, admissions data and post-GCSE destinations are all included.
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Unlock for £9.99Reception admissions, 2026 entry
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| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 48 | 2 |
| Third Preference | 28 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 1 | 0 |
Previous years
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UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 Blean Primary School had 429 pupils for 420 places. That is 9 more pupils than the school has room for.
Pupils and places
Reception intake in the “Primary - Canterbury City” planning area
Kent counted 450 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 448 in 2029–30, down 0%.
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Places | 469 | 469 | 469 | 462 | 455 | 448 | 441 | 420 | 420 | 420 | 420 | 420 | 420 | 420 | 420 |
| Pupils | 463 | 459 | 457 | 452 | 446 | 436 | 427 | 431 | 435 | 432 | 430 | 430 | 430 | 432 | 429 |
| Unfilled | 1.3% | 2.1% | 2.6% | 2.2% | 2.0% | 2.7% | 3.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
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 Blean Primary School attended 96.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 2.8% | 3.5% | 3.5% | 3.0% | 3.4% | 3.1% | 1.7% | 4.7% | 3.5% | 3.3% | 3.2% |
| Unauthorised absence | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| Severely absent pupils | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
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, 0.5% of pupils at Blean Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Permanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
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 Blean Primary School had 23.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 14.3 | 14.2 | 11.9 | 11.8 | 12.0 | 11.8 | 12.1 | 12.0 | 12.6 | 11.7 | 11.4 | 11.1 | 10.7 | 9.9 | 10.7 | 10.9 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 23.4% | 16.7% | 13.8% | 5.3% | 0.0% | 11.5% | 12.9% | 22.1% | 11.2% | 18.5% | 5.6% | 5.7% | 5.3% | 5.0% | 10.5% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | 74.1% | 80.8% | 87.5% | 52.2% | 60.0% | 52.2% | 50.0% | 81.0% | 52.2% | – | 61.9% | 85.7% | 70.0% | 50.0% | 52.6% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | 7.5 | 7.5 | 5.1 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 4.8 | 7.0 | 2.0 | – | 2.8 | 6.2 | 10.5 | 1.5 | 5.8 | – |
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, 11.6% of pupils at Blean Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).
Pupils by main type of need
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Social, emotional and mental health | 13 | 0 |
| Speech, language and communication needs | 13 | 0 |
| Moderate learning difficulty | 11 | 0 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 7 | 1 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 7 | 0 |
| Physical disability | 1 | 1 |
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 Blean Primary School received £6,536 and spent £6,505 for each of its 449 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £224,000 (£498 per pupil).
Income per pupil
Spending per pupil
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | £238,000 | £207,000 | £221,000 | £228,000 | £251,000 | £225,000 | £210,000 | £224,000 |
| per pupil | £551 | £479 | £516 | £532 | £582 | £524 | £491 | £498 |
| In-year balance | £52,000 | -£31,000 | £14,000 | £7,000 | £23,000 | -£26,000 | -£16,000 | £14,000 |
| per pupil | £121 | -£71 | £34 | £16 | £53 | -£60 | -£36 | £31 |
Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).
| Name | Distance |
|
Kent College Nursery, Infant and Junior School
Harbledown, Canterbury, CT2 9AQ |
1.19 miles |
|
St Stephen's Junior School
Hales Drive, St Stephens, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7AD |
1.29 miles |
|
St Stephen's Infant School
Hales Drive, St Stephen's, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7AB |
1.3 miles |
|
The Canterbury Primary School
City View, Franklyn Road, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 8PT |
1.51 miles |
|
St Johns Church of England Primary School
St John's Place, Northgate, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 1BD |
1.69 miles |
|
St Peter's Methodist Primary School
St Peter's Grove, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2DH |
1.7 miles |
|
St Thomas' Catholic Primary School, Canterbury
99 Military Road, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 1NE |
1.93 miles |
|
Wincheap Foundation Primary School
Hollow Lane, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 3SD |
2.14 miles |
|
Parkside Community Foundation Primary School
Tennyson Avenue, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 1EP |
2.45 miles |
|
Pilgrims' Way Primary School
Pilgrims Way, Canterbury, CT1 1XU |
2.76 miles |
|
Sturry Church of England Primary School
Park View, Sturry, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 0NR |
3.27 miles |
|
Chartham Primary School
Shalmsford Street, Chartham, Canterbury, Kent, CT4 7QN |
3.75 miles |
|
Joy Lane Primary Foundation School
Joy Lane, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 4LT |
3.83 miles |
|
Hernhill Church of England Primary School
Fostall, Hernhill, Faversham, Kent, ME13 9JG |
3.93 miles |
|
The Far Academy CIC
Unit 77 John Wilson Business Park, Whitstable, CT5 3QT |
3.99 miles |
|
Whitstable Junior School
Oxford Street, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 1DB |
4.12 miles |
|
St Alphege Church of England Infant School
Oxford Street, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 1DA |
4.14 miles |
|
Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed Church of England Junior School
High Street, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 1AY |
4.26 miles |
|
Swalecliffe Community Primary School
Bridgefield Road, Swalecliffe, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 2PH |
4.31 miles |
|
Boughton-under-Blean and Dunkirk Primary School
School Lane, Boughton-under-Blean, Faversham, Kent, ME13 9AW |
4.35 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Kent College (Canterbury)
Whitstable Road, Canterbury, CT2 9DT |
0.39 miles |
|
Kent College International Study Centre
Whitstable Road, Canterbury, CT2 9DT |
0.39 miles |
|
St Edmund's School Canterbury
St Thomas Hill, Canterbury, CT2 8HU |
0.59 miles |
|
The Archbishop's School
St Stephens Hill, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7AP |
1.02 miles |
|
The Canterbury Academy
Knight Avenue, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 8QA |
1.48 miles |
|
Haven Nook
73-75 Castle Street, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2QD |
1.85 miles |
|
The King's School Canterbury
25 The Precincts, Canterbury, CT1 2ES |
1.87 miles |
|
Barton Court Grammar School
Longport, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 1PH |
2.28 miles |
|
The Orchard School
Cambridge Road, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 3QQ |
2.3 miles |
|
St Nicholas' School
Holm Oak Close, Nunnery Fields, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 3JJ |
2.32 miles |
|
Newingate School
48 New Dover Road, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 3DT |
2.51 miles |
|
Barton Manor School
Spring Lane, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 1SU |
2.69 miles |
|
The Worthgate School
68 New Dover Road, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 3LQ |
2.7 miles |
|
Junior King's School
Milner Court, Canterbury, CT2 0AY |
2.95 miles |
|
Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys
Langton Lane, Nackington Road, Canterbury, Kent, CT4 7AS |
2.98 miles |
|
Hawthorn
Chalkhill Farm, New House Lane, Chartham, Kent, CT4 7BF |
3 miles |
|
Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School
Old Dover Road, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 3EW |
3.04 miles |
|
St Anselm's Catholic School, Canterbury
Old Dover Road, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 3EN |
3.25 miles |
|
The Whitstable School
Bellevue Road, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 1PX |
3.68 miles |
|
The FAR Academy
Unit 77 - 80 John Wilson Business Park, Whitsable, CT5 3QT |
4 miles |
All schools in Canterbury · Kent local authority: places and applications
What is Blean Primary School's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for Blean Primary School is Outstanding, from an inspection in May 2022.
When was Blean Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?
Blean Primary School was last inspected in May 2022.
How many pupils does Blean Primary School have?
Blean Primary School has 449 pupils on roll.
What age range does Blean Primary School cover?
Blean Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.
What are Blean Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?
In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Where is Blean Primary School?
Blean Primary School is at Whitstable Road, Blean, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 9ED.