Nonington Church of England Primary School

Nonington Church of England Primary School is a small rural primary that has grown recently and serves a higher-than-average proportion of disadvantaged pupils. Pupils and families describe a warm, caring and inclusive school, and staff are aspirational. Safeguarding is effective, and pupils feel safe and trust adults. The school’s inclusive culture and support for pupils with SEND are particular strengths, including expert care for children with complex needs. The main area for development is the quality of education. The curriculum is broad and ambitious and has been carefully ordered for mixed-age classes, but it is not consistently implemented. In lessons, teachers do not always follow the planned curriculum or teach key concepts accurately, and staff do not routinely check what pupils already know before moving on. Reading is a related concern: pupils love reading, but phonics teaching is inconsistent, with inaccurate modelling and routines that slow early readers’ progress. Behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision are stronger. Children get off to a positive start in Reception, pupils are respectful and caring, and personal development is well supported through PSHE, online safety and community links. Leaders and governors understand inclusion well, although leadership capacity is small because of the school’s size. The school was previously judged to require improvement and is working to improve attendance following a large intake of new pupils.

Strengths

• Warm, caring and inclusive culture where pupils feel safe and valued
• Strong, expert support for pupils with SEND, including those with complex needs
• Positive start in Reception with well-planned learning and effective language development
• Broad and ambitious curriculum with knowledge clearly identified and sequenced for mixed-age classes
• Pupils are respectful, caring and play inclusively together
• Pupils love reading and use the library independently
• Effective PSHE and online safety education
• Strong community links, including with the local church and farm school
• Leaders and governors have a deep understanding of inclusion and strong subject knowledge
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Staff feel well supported and valued

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum is not consistently followed in lessons, and key concepts are not always taught accurately
• Teaching of phonics and early reading lacks consistency and accuracy, slowing pupils’ progress
• Staff do not routinely check pupils’ prior knowledge before moving on, so learning is not built securely over time
• Not all pupils achieve as well as they could because the ambitious curriculum is not realised consistently

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 Nonington Church of England Primary School attended 87.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 46.2% 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, 12.1% of pupils at Nonington Church of England 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 Nonington Church of England Primary School had 10.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 33.3% 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, 46.7% of pupils at Nonington Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 11.1% 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 Nonington Church of England Primary School received £15,800 and spent £16,138 for each of its 45 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £25,000 (£558 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 Dover · Kent local authority: places and applications

What is Nonington Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Nonington Church of England Primary School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Nonington Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Nonington Church of England Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Nonington Church of England Primary School have?

Nonington Church of England Primary School has 45 pupils on roll.

What age range does Nonington Church of England Primary School cover?

Nonington Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Nonington Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 0% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Nonington Church of England Primary School?

Nonington Church of England Primary School is at Church Street, Nonington, Dover, Kent, CT15 4LB.