Shepherdswell Church of England Primary School

Shepherdswell Church of England Primary School demonstrates a strong overall performance with a focus on providing a safe and nurturing environment for its pupils. The school has created a positive culture that fosters high standards of attendance and behavior, with expectations that are firmly upheld. Leaders effectively monitor attendance and provide necessary support to ensure all pupils can benefit from their education, resulting in a safe and thriving learning atmosphere. Additionally, the inclusive practices allow pupils with special educational needs and disabilities to achieve well alongside their peers. The curriculum is well-structured and delivered effectively, helping pupils to progress and perform above national averages in key areas such as reading, writing, and mathematics. Although there are some variations in the depth of knowledge across subjects, leaders are actively working to enhance phonics teaching and ensure consistency in teaching quality. Overall, the school is well-prepared to advance further, as it continues to support the diverse needs of its pupils and uphold its vision for academic and personal development.

Strengths

• Strong emphasis on safeguarding, creating a safe learning environment.
• High standards of attendance and behavior consistently above national averages.
• Highly inclusive environment that supports pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
• Carefully designed and sequenced curriculum leading to good pupil progress.
• Effective monitoring and adjustments in teaching approaches to meet diverse pupil needs.
• Positive relationships among staff and pupils fostering a sense of belonging.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in the quality of teaching across different subjects and year 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 Shepherdswell Church of England Primary School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.8% 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 Shepherdswell 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 Shepherdswell Church of England Primary School had 22.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 3.1% 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, 15.5% of pupils at Shepherdswell Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.3% 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 Shepherdswell Church of England Primary School received £6,641 and spent £6,743 for each of its 213 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £90,000 (£421 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

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

The latest Ofsted rating for Shepherdswell Church of England Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in May 2026.

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

Shepherdswell Church of England Primary School was last inspected in May 2026.

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

Shepherdswell Church of England Primary School has 213 pupils on roll.

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

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

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

In 2025, 82% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Shepherdswell Church of England Primary School?

Shepherdswell Church of England Primary School is at Coldred Road, Shepherdswell, Dover, Kent, CT15 7LH.