Saltwood CofE Primary School

Saltwood CofE Primary School is a small Church of England primary that inspectors judge to be performing at a strong standard overall. The school is well led by a relatively new leadership team, with the acting headteacher in post since January 2026, and has stabilised after a period of turbulence. Safeguarding standards are met, attendance is above national and persistent absence is low, and pupils are calm, respectful, happy and safe. Early years provision, inclusion, leadership/governance, personal development and behaviour are particular strengths. The curriculum has been significantly refined and is well sequenced and inclusive. Reading is a strength, and pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, generally achieve well and are prepared for secondary school. Pastoral support and the school's inclusive ethos are highly effective, and staff morale is high. The school is not yet exceptional across all areas: the quality of teaching and curriculum implementation is not fully consistent. Inspectors' next steps focus on strengthening teaching so pupils deepen understanding of key concepts and achieve even more highly, and on embedding transcription/writing strategies. There is some variability in pupils' recall of prior learning in the wider curriculum, writing is a newer aspect of the curriculum, and not all subjects provide consistently strong opportunities for deeper thinking and memory. Published 2024/25 data for disadvantaged pupils in combined reading, writing and maths and in mathematics was below national, although small cohorts and stronger three-year trends mean this should be treated with caution.

Strengths

• Strong overall performance, with leaders working above expected standards.
• Safeguarding standards are met and pupils feel safe.
• Attendance is above national figures and persistent absence is low.
• Pupils display positive attitudes, self-discipline and kind behaviour.
• Early years provision is strong, with a well-sequenced curriculum and rapid phonics development.
• Inclusion is a major strength, with detailed knowledge of pupils and highly personalised support.
• Leadership and governance are strong, with rapid improvements and high staff morale.
• Personal development and wellbeing are well structured, age-appropriate and effective.
• Pastoral support is highly effective, including nurture and emotional literacy support.
• Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, typically achieve well.
• Reading outcomes are particularly strong and pupils become fluent, confident readers.
• Pupils are well prepared for secondary school and for life in modern Britain.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching consistency needs strengthening so that pupils deepen understanding of key concepts and achievement rises further.
• Strategies for developing transcription need to be embedded more fully so writing skills continue to improve.
• Writing is a newer curriculum aspect, so its full impact has not yet been realised.
• Pupils' recall of prior learning over time is variable in the wider curriculum.
• Opportunities for deeper thinking and memory development are not consistently established in all subjects.
• 2024/25 outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in combined reading, writing and maths and in mathematics were below national averages, though cohorts were small and three-year trends are stronger.

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 Saltwood CofE Primary School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.4% 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 Saltwood CofE 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 Saltwood CofE Primary School had 22.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.6% 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, 6.4% of pupils at Saltwood CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.5% 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 Saltwood CofE Primary School received £6,526 and spent £6,386 for each of its 202 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £90,000 (£447 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 Hythe · Kent local authority: places and applications

What is Saltwood CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Saltwood CofE Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Saltwood CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Saltwood CofE Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Saltwood CofE Primary School have?

Saltwood CofE Primary School has 202 pupils on roll.

What age range does Saltwood CofE Primary School cover?

Saltwood CofE Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Saltwood CofE Primary School?

Saltwood CofE Primary School is at Grange Road, Saltwood, Hythe, Kent, CT21 4QS.