Meopham School

Meopham School has demonstrated a good standard of overall effectiveness, showing improvement since the previous outstanding inspection. The new leadership team has taken significant strides to ensure all pupils receive effective teaching and feel supported in a positive school environment. Although many pupils are making effective progress in their learning, some subjects still need further enhancement to fully embed their curriculum improvements. Additionally, the school is focusing on monitoring attendance and ensuring high standards of behaviour among all students.

Strengths

• Supportive and nurturing relationships between staff and pupils
• Effective leadership with high aspirations for all pupils
• Strong curriculum construction that supports progress, especially for pupils with SEND
• A range of enrichment activities that enhance personal development
• Effective safeguarding measures and a culture of safety

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils do not consistently meet behaviour expectations
• Attendance rates, particularly persistent absence, need improvement
• Not all staff effectively check pupils' long-term knowledge retention

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 Meopham School attended 89.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 32.6% 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, 9.5% of pupils at Meopham School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Meopham School had 18.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 30.4% 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, 6.0% of pupils at Meopham School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.4% 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 Meopham School received £7,725 and spent £7,619 for each of its 961 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £391,000 (£407 per pupil).

Across all 19 schools of Swale Academies Trust, income was £8,268 and spending £8,248 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 Gravesend · Kent local authority: places and applications

Meopham School is part of Swale Academies Trust, which runs 19 schools. The nearest others:

• Istead Rise Primary School Gravesend
• The Holmesdale School Snodland
• South Borough Primary School Maidstone
• Westlands School Sittingbourne
• Westlands Primary School Sittingbourne
• Regis Manor Primary School Sittingbourne
• The Sittingbourne School Sittingbourne
• James Dixon Primary School London
• Beaver Green Primary School Ashford
• The North School Ashford

What is Meopham School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Meopham School is Good, from an inspection in June 2023.

When was Meopham School last inspected by Ofsted?

Meopham School was last inspected in June 2023.

How many pupils does Meopham School have?

Meopham School has 905 pupils on roll.

What age range does Meopham School cover?

Meopham School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Meopham School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 38.4, and 29% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Meopham School?

Meopham School is at Wrotham Road, Meopham, Gravesend, Kent, DA13 0AH.