Eythorne Elvington Community Primary School

Eythorne Elvington Community Primary School is a small village primary of around 111 pupils, part of a federation with Shepherdswell Church of England Primary School, serving a community with well above average levels of disadvantage — over half of pupils are eligible for free school meals. Inspectors found a calm, nurturing and genuinely inclusive school where pupils feel they belong, behave very well, and are taught by staff who know them and their families closely. Early years is the standout feature: children get off to a flying start thanks to knowledgeable staff, effective phonics teaching, well-established routines, early identification of SEND, and a richly resourced environment that prepares them very well for Year 1. Across the rest of the school, pupils typically achieve well and generally leave well prepared for the next stage, with phonics outcomes above national averages and attainment broadly in line with or above national figures in recent years. Reading, writing and maths are securely planned, support for pupils with SEND is strong, and pupils benefit from a wide enrichment offer and a well-developed personal development curriculum. Attendance has improved under leaders' focused work and is now broadly in line with national averages, though persistent absence remains above average and improving attendance for every group is still a priority. The main areas for development concern precision rather than principle. Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes, particularly in reading, remain weaker than their peers nationally, and while staff adapt learning well, tasks do not always build pupils' skills and knowledge securely or address misconceptions quickly enough. Assessment and checking for understanding are not consistently sharp, leaders' oversight of inclusion is not yet systematic enough to remove barriers swiftly, and governors lack the detailed understanding needed to support and challenge leaders precisely. Leaders are well regarded by staff and parents and have accurately identified these priorities.

Strengths

• Early years provision is highly effective, with skilled staff, strong routines and rapid identification of SEND
• Phonics is taught well and pupils' Year 1 screening outcomes exceed national averages
• Pupils behave very well and show highly positive attitudes to learning in a calm, purposeful environment
• The school has a strongly inclusive culture where pupils feel welcomed, valued and well supported
• Staff make effective adaptations so pupils with SEND can access learning alongside their peers
• Attendance has improved and is now broadly in line with the national average
• Leaders are highly supportive of staff workload and wellbeing, and teachers are proud to work at the school
• A broad enrichment offer, including the 'Eleven by 11' activities, widens pupils' experiences and develops talents
• Pastoral support is delivered effectively by attentive staff who know pupils well
• Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school and its caring approach
• Governors are committed and fulfil their statutory duties
• Leaders have an accurate, detailed understanding of the school and its priorities for improvement

Areas for Improvement

• Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes remain below national non-disadvantaged averages, especially in reading
• Oversight of inclusion is not coherent and precise enough to reduce barriers to learning swiftly and systematically
• Persistent absence remains above the national average and attendance needs further improvement for all groups
• Tasks in lessons do not always challenge pupils enough to build skills and knowledge over time
• Misconceptions are not always addressed quickly, so work is not consistently of high quality
• Assessment and checking for understanding are at times not used precisely enough
• Governors lack the precise understanding of strengths and development areas needed to support and challenge leaders effectively
• Participation in enrichment activities is not consistently tracked to ensure barriers are reduced for all groups

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 Eythorne Elvington Community Primary School attended 93.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.5% 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 Eythorne Elvington Community 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 Eythorne Elvington Community Primary School had 19.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.7% 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, 9.9% of pupils at Eythorne Elvington Community Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.8% 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 Eythorne Elvington Community Primary School received £8,968 and spent £8,806 for each of its 111 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £90,000 (£809 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).

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What is Eythorne Elvington Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Eythorne Elvington Community Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Eythorne Elvington Community Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Eythorne Elvington Community Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Eythorne Elvington Community Primary School have?

Eythorne Elvington Community Primary School has 111 pupils on roll.

What age range does Eythorne Elvington Community Primary School cover?

Eythorne Elvington Community Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are Eythorne Elvington Community Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Eythorne Elvington Community Primary School?

Eythorne Elvington Community Primary School is at Adelaide Road, Eythorne, Dover, Kent, CT15 4AN.