Lydden Primary School

Lydden Primary School has effectively maintained the strong standards highlighted in its previous inspection. The small rural school encourages pupils to flourish under high expectations, fostering a community environment where all students feel supported and safe. Notably, the school has placed a significant emphasis on reading, and pupils demonstrate a love for it, leading to positive outcomes in fluency and comprehension. The curriculum has been thoughtfully designed to address the needs of pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). However, the transition to a new curriculum model has left some gaps in learning for a few pupils, which the school is actively working to close.

Strengths

• High expectations for pupil behaviour and achievement.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
• Strong emphasis on reading, with well-established reading sessions.
• Positive school environment where pupils feel safe and supported.
• Committed and informed leadership providing effective training for staff.

Areas for Improvement

• Some gaps in learning due to the transition between curriculums.
• Inconsistent confidence among teachers in delivering new subject content.

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 Lydden Primary School attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.8% 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 Lydden 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 Lydden Primary School had 13.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.7% 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, 29.4% of pupils at Lydden Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.0% 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 Lydden Primary School received £9,365 and spent £9,211 for each of its 68 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £68,000 (£995 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 Lydden Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lydden Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Lydden Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Lydden Primary School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Lydden Primary School have?

Lydden Primary School has 68 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lydden Primary School cover?

Lydden Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 75% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Lydden Primary School?

Lydden Primary School is at Stonehall, Lydden, Dover, Kent, CT15 7LA.