Selling Church of England Primary School

Selling Church of England Primary School is showing a strong performance overall, having established a positive and inclusive environment where pupils feel safe and valued. The leadership team demonstrates a clear vision for improvement, and there is effective oversight from the governing body and trustees that has fostered a culture of accountability. However, areas of academic achievement, particularly in writing and spelling, require attention as some pupils are not yet fully prepared for secondary education. The school has made concerted efforts to improve attendance and support for disadvantaged pupils, which has led to improvements, though persistent absence remains a challenge in comparison to the national average.

Strengths

• Strong inclusive practices that support vulnerable pupils.
• Effective safeguarding measures ensuring pupils feel safe.
• Positive behaviour and respectful environment throughout the school.
• Robust tracking of attendance leading to significant improvements.
• Well-structured curriculum aligned with national standards.
• Effective phonics provision that builds strong foundations for reading.

Areas for Improvement

• Gaps in pupils' writing skills, particularly in grammar and spelling.
• Recent improvements in knowledge checks have not significantly impacted results.
• Persistently high rates of absence, particularly among disadvantaged pupils.

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 Selling Church of England Primary School attended 94.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.3% 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, 1.1% of pupils at Selling 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 Selling Church of England Primary School had 17.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 48.4% 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, 24.4% of pupils at Selling Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.8% 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 2024–25 Selling Church of England Primary School received £10,299 and spent £9,347 for each of its 92 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £65,000 (£711 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of Our Community Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,845 and spending £7,701 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Faversham · Kent local authority: places and applications

Selling Church of England Primary School is part of Our Community Multi Academy Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Lynsted and Norton Primary School Sittingbourne
• Petham Primary School Canterbury
• Milstead and Frinsted Church of England Primary School Sittingbourne
• The Oaks Infant School Sittingbourne
• Minterne Junior School Sittingbourne
• Bredgar Church of England Primary School Sittingbourne
• Borden Church of England Primary School Sittingbourne
• Dymchurch Primary School Romney Marsh
• Lydd Primary School Romney Marsh

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

The latest Ofsted rating for Selling Church of England Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in March 2026.

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

Selling Church of England Primary School was last inspected in March 2026.

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

Selling Church of England Primary School has 86 pupils on roll.

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

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

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

In 2025, 38% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Selling Church of England Primary School?

Selling Church of England Primary School is at The Street, Selling, Faversham, Kent, ME13 9RQ.