Pluckley Church of England Primary School

Pluckley Church of England Primary School continues to maintain the high standards achieved in previous inspections. The school benefits from a committed leadership team that fosters a positive environment where pupils feel safe and inspired. With exemplary behavior and a values-led approach, students are engaged and demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning, contributing to their overall success. The school's curriculum effectively challenges pupils and includes support for those with special educational needs, ensuring a holistic development approach.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well and in many cases very highly.
• Clear teaching of phonics helps develop reading accuracy.
• Ambitious vocabulary is taught across all subjects.
• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs.
• High levels of pupil attendance and decreasing persistent absence.
• Rich array of opportunities for wider pupil development.
• Positive engagement from parents and guardians.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in addressing errors in pupils' writing.

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 Pluckley Church of England Primary School attended 96.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.4% 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 Pluckley 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 Pluckley Church of England Primary School had 15.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 15.9% of pupils at Pluckley Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.0% 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 Pluckley Church of England Primary School received £8,660 and spent £8,844 for each of its 89 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £40,000 (£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

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

• Smarden 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
• Dame Janet Primary Academy Ramsgate
• Salmestone Primary School Margate
• Drapers Mills Primary Academy Margate

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

The latest Ofsted rating for Pluckley Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in February 2025.

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

Pluckley Church of England Primary School was last inspected in February 2025.

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

Pluckley Church of England Primary School has 82 pupils on roll.

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

Pluckley Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Pluckley 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 Pluckley Church of England Primary School?

Pluckley Church of England Primary School is at The Street, Pluckley, Ashford, Kent, TN27 0QS.