Bethersden Primary School

Bethersden Primary School is performing well, achieving a 'Good' overall effectiveness rating in its recent inspection. The school has successfully managed significant leadership changes and has made noticeable improvements in providing a positive educational environment for its pupils. The early years provision stands out as exceptional, fostering a strong foundation for children’s education, promoting skills such as reading, number fluency, and vocabulary development from the start. Pupils enjoy a range of extracurricular opportunities and feel a strong sense of belonging, contributing positively to school life and embracing the school's values of respect and kindness.

Strengths

• Pupils display high levels of happiness and feel part of a caring school community.
• Exceptional early years provision that encourages curiosity and a love for learning.
• Strong subject knowledge among teachers and effective support for pupils with SEND.
• Reading is prioritized, with early identification and support for pupils who need additional assistance.
• Pupils take active roles in school life, including participation in the school council and decision-making processes.

Areas for Improvement

• Not all pupils have yet acquired the full subject-specific vocabulary, knowledge, and skills as intended.

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 Bethersden Primary School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.1% 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, 2.6% of pupils at Bethersden 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 Bethersden Primary School had 18.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 24.3% 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, 14.5% of pupils at Bethersden Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.0% 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 Bethersden Primary School received £7,793 and spent £7,951 for each of its 117 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £84,000 (£714 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 Ashford · Kent local authority: places and applications

What is Bethersden Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bethersden Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2023.

When was Bethersden Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Bethersden Primary School was last inspected in July 2023.

How many pupils does Bethersden Primary School have?

Bethersden Primary School has 117 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bethersden Primary School cover?

Bethersden Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 46% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bethersden Primary School?

Bethersden Primary School is at School Road, Bethersden, Ashford, Kent, TN26 3AH.