Mersham Primary School

Mersham Primary School is a small, inclusive and welcoming school that is performing securely overall. Safeguarding is met, and inspectors judged attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing to be at the expected standard. Pupils are happy, polite and attend well, with disadvantaged pupils attending particularly well. The school’s caring ethos, pastoral support, nurture class and wide range of clubs and experiences are notable strengths, and leaders are well supported by governors and the Care Foundation Trust. Early years provision is strong, with children achieving well and developing confidence and foundational language skills. Pupils generally achieve well in English, including phonics, reading and writing, and vulnerable pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, make suitable progress from their starting points. Leaders have a detailed understanding of the school and have taken action to improve mathematics teaching, with signs of improving achievement. The main area needing attention is mathematics. Attainment at the end of Year 6 has been below the national average for the past two years, and a minority of pupils still have gaps in mathematical knowledge that hamper progress. Leaders recognise that the mathematics curriculum is not yet adapted consistently well across the school, and high-quality teaching is not yet securely embedded everywhere. Further work is needed to ensure all pupils achieve as well as they should in mathematics.

Strengths

• Warm, inclusive and nurturing culture where pupils feel valued and safe
• Pupils attend well, including disadvantaged pupils whose attendance is above national average
• Calm, orderly classrooms and polite, respectful behaviour around school
• Broad, balanced and well-sequenced curriculum across subjects and mixed-age classes
• Secure foundational knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics, with improving mathematics teaching
• Strong early years provision that prepares children well for the next stage
• Effective support for vulnerable pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
• Well-planned staff training and constructive trust collaboration
• Knowledgeable governors who provide helpful support and challenge
• Strong pastoral care, including nurture class and emotional literacy support
• Wide range of clubs, trips and events that build confidence and broaden horizons
• Safeguarding standards met with an open culture of safeguarding

Areas for Improvement

• Mathematics attainment at the end of Year 6 has been below the national average for two years
• A minority of pupils have gaps in mathematical knowledge that hamper progress
• Mathematics curriculum adaptation is not yet consistent across the school
• High-quality teaching is not yet securely embedded across all classes

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 Mersham Primary School attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.0% 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 Mersham 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 Mersham Primary School had 13.9 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, 17.9% of pupils at Mersham Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.7% 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 Mersham Primary School received £7,852 and spent £7,947 for each of its 140 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £63,000 (£451 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

Mersham Primary School is part of Care Foundation Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Smeeth Community Primary School Ashford
• Aldington Primary School Ashford
• Brook Community Primary School Ashford
• Phoenix Community Primary School Ashford
• Challock Primary School Ashford

What is Mersham Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Mersham Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Mersham Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Mersham Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Mersham Primary School have?

Mersham Primary School has 140 pupils on roll.

What age range does Mersham Primary School cover?

Mersham Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Mersham Primary School?

Mersham Primary School is at Church Road, Mersham, Ashford, Kent, TN25 6NU.