Reculver Church of England Primary School

Reculver Church of England Primary School continues to maintain the high standards established in its previous outstanding inspection in 2018. Under the leadership of headteacher Stella Collins, the school demonstrates an ambitious curriculum that effectively supports all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils are not only academically prepared but also display positive attitudes toward learning, contributing to a safe and happy school environment. Although the school has made effective strides since the last inspection, there are still challenges resulting from the impact of COVID-19, particularly in writing skills among older pupils.

Strengths

• Teachers set high expectations for pupil behavior and engagement.
• Pupils demonstrate excellent conduct and manners.
• The school provides high-quality pastoral support.
• Pupils have a rich understanding of the national curriculum.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve well due to effective teaching strategies.
• Pupils learn to write thoughtfully using rich and varied language.
• Strong mathematical knowledge among pupils with fluency in key number facts.
• Inclusive environment that supports all pupils, including those with SEND.

Areas for Improvement

• Some older pupils show inconsistency in writing, including spelling and punctuation errors due to historical teaching.

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 Reculver Church of England Primary School attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.1% 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, 1.3% of pupils at Reculver 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 Reculver Church of England Primary School had 21.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.8% 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, 23.2% of pupils at Reculver Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 5 pupils.

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 Reculver Church of England Primary School received £6,762 and spent £7,041 for each of its 455 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £827,000 (£1,818 per pupil).

Across all 16 schools of The Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust, income was £7,245 and spending £7,113 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 Herne Bay · Kent local authority: places and applications

Reculver Church of England Primary School is part of The Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

• Sandwich Infant School Sandwich
• St Laurence In Thanet Church of England Junior Academy Ramsgate
• St. Clement's CofE Primary School Sheerness
• St Mary of Charity CofE (Aided) Primary School Faversham
• Eastchurch Church of England Primary School Sheerness
• Temple Ewell Church of England Primary School Dover
• St Georges CofE (Aided) Primary School Sheerness
• Guston Church of England Primary School Dover
• Charlton Church of England Primary School Dover
• Downs View Infant School Ashford

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

The latest Ofsted rating for Reculver Church of England Primary School is Outstanding, from an inspection in December 2024.

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

Reculver Church of England Primary School was last inspected in December 2024.

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

Reculver Church of England Primary School has 444 pupils on roll.

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

Reculver Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Reculver Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Reculver Church of England Primary School?

Reculver Church of England Primary School is at Hillborough, Herne Bay, Kent, CT6 6TA.