St Mary of Charity CofE (Aided) Primary School

St Mary of Charity CofE (Aided) Primary School is a highly inclusive Church of England primary in the Aquila, The Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust. Inspectors found a harmonious, ambitious school where pupils behave well, feel safe and are valued as individuals. Early years provision is particularly strong: children get off to a flying start, and staff build independence, curiosity, vocabulary and early phonics effectively. Reading is a clear priority, and pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported well. Personal development is woven through the curriculum, with pupils taking on leadership roles and benefiting from trips and clubs. Leaders, trustees and governors know the school well and provide effective challenge and support. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The main concern is that, in some subjects, staff do not check pupils’ understanding of previously taught essential knowledge carefully enough, so gaps are not always identified and addressed and some pupils do not achieve as well as they could. Attendance, especially among the most vulnerable pupils, also remains an important priority for improvement.

Strengths

• Highly inclusive school where pupils are valued as individuals
• Embedded school values that pupils understand and demonstrate
• Respectful and kind relationships between pupils and staff
• Happy and harmonious atmosphere with pupils feeling safe and secure
• Early years provision gives children a flying start
• Ambitious and engaging curriculum from early years onwards
• Strong subject knowledge and effective handling of misconceptions
• Quick and accurate identification of SEND needs
• Well-supported staff adapting learning for pupils with SEND
• Reading is a top priority with precise, structured phonics teaching
• Swift action helps pupils falling behind in phonics to catch up
• Strong personal development through leadership roles, clubs and trips
• Pupils behave very well and classrooms are calm and purposeful
• Compassionate support helps pupils manage emotions and behaviour
• Proactive interventions support pupils at risk of absenteeism
• Trustees and governors provide effective challenge and support
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Checks on pupils’ understanding of previously taught essential knowledge are not consistently effective in some subjects
• Gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not always identified and addressed, so some pupils do not achieve as well as they could
• Attendance, especially among the most vulnerable pupils, remains an important priority

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 St Mary of Charity CofE (Aided) Primary School attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.0% 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, 1.9% of pupils at St Mary of Charity CofE (Aided) 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 St Mary of Charity CofE (Aided) Primary School had 18.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.9% 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, 17.3% of pupils at St Mary of Charity CofE (Aided) Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.4% 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 St Mary of Charity CofE (Aided) Primary School received £7,112 and spent £7,075 for each of its 211 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £368,000 (£1,745 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 Faversham · Kent local authority: places and applications

St Mary of Charity CofE (Aided) Primary School is part of The Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

• St. Clement's CofE Primary School Sheerness
• Eastchurch Church of England Primary School Sheerness
• St Georges CofE (Aided) Primary School Sheerness
• Charing Church of England Primary School Ashford
• Downs View Infant School Ashford
• Kennington Church of England Academy Ashford
• Reculver Church of England Primary School Herne Bay
• Kingsnorth Church of England Primary School Ashford
• Archbishop Courtenay Primary School Maidstone
• All Soul's Church of England Primary School Folkestone

What is St Mary of Charity CofE (Aided) Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary of Charity CofE (Aided) Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was St Mary of Charity CofE (Aided) Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Mary of Charity CofE (Aided) Primary School was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does St Mary of Charity CofE (Aided) Primary School have?

St Mary of Charity CofE (Aided) Primary School has 208 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Mary of Charity CofE (Aided) Primary School cover?

St Mary of Charity CofE (Aided) Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St Mary of Charity CofE (Aided) Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 45% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Mary of Charity CofE (Aided) Primary School?

St Mary of Charity CofE (Aided) Primary School is at Orchard Place, Faversham, Kent, ME13 8AP.