Dymchurch Primary School

Dymchurch Primary School is a thriving, inclusive primary school that is performing well overall following its October 2024 graded inspection. Pupils are proud, motivated and benefit from an aspirational curriculum; the quality of education, leadership and management, and early years provision are good, while behaviour and attitudes and personal development are outstanding. Safeguarding is effective. Inspectors highlighted strong teaching, effective phonics and reading, high expectations for pupils including those with SEND, and an exceptional personal development offer through clubs, trips, community work and nurture support. Staff are well supported by trust collaboration, and leaders provide a good balance of challenge and support, helping the school improve since its previous Requires improvement inspection. The 2023 key stage 2 national test outcomes are noted as not reflecting pupils’ progress over time. The main area to improve is consistency in a small number of subjects, where some of the school’s effective teaching strategies are not fully embedded. In these subjects pupils do not retrieve and build on prior knowledge as well as they could, which can limit how highly they achieve.

Strengths

• Inclusive and aspirational curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND
• Knowledgeable teachers who explain concepts clearly and adapt learning effectively
• Highly effective phonics and reading provision from Reception onwards
• Strong systems for recalling prior learning and practising knowledge in most lessons
• Outstanding behaviour and attitudes, with calm, productive lessons and rare poor behaviour
• Exceptional personal development offer including clubs, trips, sports and mental health activities
• Pupils show respect for diversity and take an active role in the local community
• Effective support for families, including work to improve attendance
• Strong trust collaboration and staff support that helps manage workload

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of subjects, effective teaching strategies are not fully embedded
• In those subjects, pupils do not retrieve and build on prior knowledge as confidently, so achievement can be lower

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 Dymchurch Primary School attended 94.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.3% 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, 1.3% of pupils at Dymchurch 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 Dymchurch Primary School had 18.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 27.6% 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, 13.0% of pupils at Dymchurch Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.2% 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 Dymchurch Primary School received £7,331 and spent £7,533 for each of its 160 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £216,000 (-£1,348 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of Our Community Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,845 and spending £7,701 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 Folkestone And Hythe · Kent local authority: places and applications

Dymchurch Primary School is part of Our Community Multi Academy Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Lydd Primary School Romney Marsh
• Petham Primary School Canterbury
• Selling Church of England Primary School Faversham
• Milstead and Frinsted Church of England Primary School Sittingbourne
• Lynsted and Norton Primary School Sittingbourne
• Bredgar Church of England Primary School Sittingbourne
• The Oaks Infant School Sittingbourne
• Minterne Junior School Sittingbourne
• Borden Church of England Primary School Sittingbourne

What is Dymchurch Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Dymchurch Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Dymchurch Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Dymchurch Primary School have?

Dymchurch Primary School has 169 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dymchurch Primary School cover?

Dymchurch Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Dymchurch Primary School?

Dymchurch Primary School is at New Hall Close, Dymchurch, Romney Marsh, Kent, TN29 0LE.