Smarden Primary School

Smarden Primary School continues to perform well, maintaining its status as a good school since its last inspection. The school demonstrates a strong commitment to fostering high aspirations among its pupils, who thrive in a supportive and engaging learning environment. The curriculum is carefully designed to meet the needs and interests of all students, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils exhibit high levels of enthusiasm for learning, supported by effective teaching practices that enable them to build confidence and achieve academic success, particularly in reading. While the school showcases many strengths, there are areas for improvement particularly regarding consistent assessment strategies across all subjects. Notably, the transition of learning for children moving from Nursery to Reception needs better coordination to ensure thorough preparedness for the subsequent stages. This inspection provided valuable insights into the continuing journey of the school, emphasizing the importance of ongoing development to maintain and enhance educational standards.

Strengths

• High aspirations and ambition for all pupils
• Engaging curriculum tailored to pupils' needs and interests
• Strong support for early reading, resulting in confident readers
• Effective safeguarding practices ensuring pupil safety
• Strong emphasis on personal, social, health and economic education
• High levels of pupil engagement and positive behavior

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistency in assessment strategies limiting learning progression
• Transition planning from Nursery to Reception not fully effective

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 Smarden Primary School attended 96.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.1% 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 Smarden 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 Smarden Primary School had 21.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.7% 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, 18.6% of pupils at Smarden Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.9% 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 Smarden Primary School received £7,641 and spent £6,715 for each of its 175 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £79,000 (£449 per pupil).

Across all 45 schools of The Kemnal Academies Trust, income was £8,501 and spending £8,452 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 Ashford · Kent local authority: places and applications

Smarden Primary School is part of The Kemnal Academies Trust, which runs 45 schools. The nearest others:

• Pluckley Church of England Primary School Ashford
• Rainham School for Girls Gillingham
• Napier Community Primary and Nursery Academy Gillingham
• Ore Village Primary Academy Hastings
• Pebsham Primary Academy Bexhill-On-Sea
• Orchards Academy Swanley
• Horizon Primary Academy Swanley
• Gray's Farm Primary Academy Orpington
• Shenstone School Crayford
• Kemnal Technology College Sidcup

What is Smarden Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Smarden Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2023.

When was Smarden Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Smarden Primary School was last inspected in July 2023.

How many pupils does Smarden Primary School have?

Smarden Primary School has 172 pupils on roll.

What age range does Smarden Primary School cover?

Smarden Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 89% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Smarden Primary School?

Smarden Primary School is at Pluckley Road, Smarden, Ashford, Kent, TN27 8ND.