Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre

Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre has shown notable improvement since its previous inspection, moving from requiring improvement to a good level of effectiveness across various domains. The school successfully supports pupils with a wide range of vocational and traditional courses, enhancing their educational experience. Although most pupils demonstrate good behaviours and attitudes, a minority of students are still adjusting to the higher expectations, which can affect their performance. The leadership team is committed to addressing these challenges while ensuring a positive environment for learning and personal development.

Strengths

• Pupils receive good support and care from staff.
• The school has raised expectations for work, behaviour, and attitudes.
• Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum tailored to pupils' needs.
• Pupils benefit from a rich extra-curricular programme.
• Staff have strong subject knowledge to deliver the curriculum effectively.
• Leaders effectively promote a love of reading throughout the school.
• The school has extensive careers information and guidance for pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Too many pupils are persistently absent, hindering their learning.
• A minority of pupils challenge the high expectations set by leaders.
• Some parents have a very negative perception of the school's improvement efforts.

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 Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre attended 88.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 32.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 9.8% of pupils at Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre had 16.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 11.7% of pupils at Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre received £7,989 and spent £8,098 for each of its 1,863 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £15,000 (£8 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Tenterden Schools Trust, income was £7,802 and spending £7,893 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 Tenterden · Kent local authority: places and applications

Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre is part of Tenterden Schools Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Tenterden Church of England Junior School Tenterden
• Tenterden Infant School Tenterden
• St Michael's Church of England Primary School Tenterden
• Rolvenden Primary School Cranbrook
• John Mayne Church of England Primary School Ashford

What is Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre is Good, from an inspection in June 2023.

When was Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre last inspected by Ofsted?

Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre was last inspected in June 2023.

How many pupils does Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre have?

Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre has 1,772 pupils on roll.

What age range does Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre cover?

Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 37.7, and 21% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre?

Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre is at Ashford Road, Tenterden, Kent, TN30 6LT.