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Blean Primary School

Primary Ages 3-11 449 pupils Canterbury
Ofsted: Outstanding
All schools in Canterbury

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%
Pupils meeting a higher standard 25%

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
Maths 108

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
Writing 3.4
Maths 4.4

How many students meet the standards

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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.

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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.

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Reception admissions, 2026 entry

Number of Applications Number of Offers
First Preference
Second Preference 48 2
Third Preference 28 0
From another Local Authority 1 0

Previous years

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Places 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%.

201020112012201320142015201620172018201920212022202320242025
Places 469469469462455448441420420420420420420420420
Pupils 463459457452446436427431435432430430430432429
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

20142015201620172018201920212022202320242025
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

2010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Suspensions per 100 pupils 0.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.90.00.00.00.20.20.50.00.5
Permanent exclusions 0000000000000010

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

2011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Pupils per adult 14.314.211.911.812.011.812.112.012.611.711.411.110.79.910.710.9
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 7.57.55.11.72.52.84.87.02.0–2.86.210.51.55.8–

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

20192020202120222023202420252026
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.

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