Salmestone Primary School

Salmestone Primary School has effectively upheld the standards recognized during its previous inspection, demonstrating a commitment to improving educational outcomes for its students. The school, under the leadership of headteacher Thomas Platten and as part of The Kemnal Academies Trust, boasts a supportive environment where pupils feel proud and involved. They are well-prepared for their transitions to secondary education, and the focus on strong pastoral care complements high academic aspirations. However, the school faces challenges related to attendance rates, indicating a need for further engagement with parents to enhance pupil participation.

Strengths

• Pupils express pride in their school and feel part of a close community.
• The school provides strong pastoral care while maintaining high academic aspirations.
• Pupils with SEND are well-supported to access the curriculum.
• The evolving curriculum builds on solid foundations and prepares pupils well for future stages.
• Teachers receive professional development aimed at improving teaching to meet diverse pupil needs.
• Pupils engage actively in personal development and a variety of enriching activities.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in staff adapting teaching to meet all pupils' needs.
• High rates of pupil absence, with persistent absence remaining a concern.

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 Salmestone Primary School attended 90.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 29.7% 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, 4.1% of pupils at Salmestone Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 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 Salmestone Primary School had 24.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 37.3% 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, 22.2% of pupils at Salmestone Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.3% 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 Salmestone Primary School received £7,043 and spent £7,412 for each of its 215 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £96,000 (£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 Margate · Kent local authority: places and applications

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

• Drapers Mills Primary Academy Margate
• Northdown Primary School Margate
• Dame Janet Primary Academy Ramsgate
• Newlands Primary School Ramsgate
• Pluckley Church of England Primary School Ashford
• Smarden Primary School Ashford
• Rainham School for Girls Gillingham
• Napier Community Primary and Nursery Academy Gillingham
• Maldon Primary School Maldon
• Heybridge Primary School Maldon

What is Salmestone Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Salmestone Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Salmestone Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Salmestone Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Salmestone Primary School have?

Salmestone Primary School has 216 pupils on roll.

What age range does Salmestone Primary School cover?

Salmestone Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Salmestone Primary School?

Salmestone Primary School is at College Road, Margate, Kent, CT9 4DB.