Water Meadows Primary School

Water Meadows Primary School is performing well, effectively maintaining the positive standards recognized in its previous inspection. The school has fostered a nurturing environment where pupils feel valued and supported, leading to their happiness and growing confidence. With a structured curriculum that meets the needs of all students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), most pupils achieve significant success in core subjects such as English and mathematics. The leadership, under the headteacher and the Stour Academy Trust, emphasizes high expectations and inclusivity, which contributes to a calm and focused learning atmosphere. However, there are still areas for improvement, particularly regarding the consistency of task alignments in the wider curriculum and attendance rates, with some pupils not attending as regularly as expected. While the school is committed to addressing these challenges, ongoing development in subject leadership and support for teachers will be crucial in ensuring all pupils continue to make progress in their learning.

Strengths

• Nurturing and inclusive environment where pupils feel valued
• Strong performance in English and mathematics
• High levels of support for pupils with SEND
• Effective implementation of phonics from the start
• Positive behaviour management supported by a new policy
• Emphasis on personal development and life skills
• Strong partnership with the Stour Academy Trust
• Staff feel supported and appreciated

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent task focus in the wider curriculum
• Subject leadership across the wider curriculum needs further development
• Attendance rates require improvement

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 Water Meadows Primary School attended 93.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 25.3% 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, 2.2% of pupils at Water Meadows 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 Water Meadows Primary School had 18.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.6% 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, 31.4% of pupils at Water Meadows Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.6% 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 Water Meadows Primary School received £7,473 and spent £7,150 for each of its 179 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £129,000 (£722 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of The Stour Academy Trust, income was £7,419 and spending £7,111 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 Canterbury · Kent local authority: places and applications

Water Meadows Primary School is part of The Stour Academy Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Sturry Church of England Primary School Canterbury
• Adisham Church of England Primary School Canterbury
• St Crispin's Infant School Westgate-On-Sea
• Thistle Hill Primary School Sheerness
• Lansdowne Primary School Sittingbourne
• Finberry Primary School Ashford
• Richmond Primary School Sheerness
• Chilmington Green Primary School Ashford

What is Water Meadows Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Water Meadows Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Water Meadows Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Water Meadows Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Water Meadows Primary School have?

Water Meadows Primary School has 188 pupils on roll.

What age range does Water Meadows Primary School cover?

Water Meadows Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Water Meadows Primary School?

Water Meadows Primary School is at Shaftesbury Road, Hersden, Canterbury, Kent, CT3 4HS.