St Nicholas Church of England Primary Academy

St Nicholas Church of England Primary Academy is performing well, maintaining its good standards from previous inspections. The school offers a nurturing and respectful environment where pupils feel safe and valued. A strong emphasis is placed on pupil well-being and values, contributing to high standards of behavior and engagement in learning. Additionally, the school has demonstrated a commitment to maintaining educational quality amidst changes, focusing on ensuring that all pupils, including those with SEND, thrive in their learning experiences.

Strengths

• Exceptional care and high standards of pupil well-being.
• Strong relationships between staff and pupils.
• Well-sequenced and engaging curriculum tailored to pupil needs.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND.
• High standards of behavior and a calm, orderly environment.
• Strong emphasis on vocabulary development from early years.
• Well-trained staff fostering early reading skills.
• Diverse opportunities for pupils to engage actively in school life.

Areas for Improvement

• Need for clearer adaptation of tasks to meet all pupils' needs.
• Mathematics attainment has been variable despite recent improvements.

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 Nicholas Church of England Primary Academy attended 94.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.4% 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, 0.2% of pupils at St Nicholas Church of England Primary Academy 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 Nicholas Church of England Primary Academy had 22.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.8% 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, 14.3% of pupils at St Nicholas Church of England Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 14 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 St Nicholas Church of England Primary Academy received £7,248 and spent £7,173 for each of its 411 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £625,000 (£1,521 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 Folkestone And Hythe · Kent local authority: places and applications

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

• Brenzett Church of England Primary School Romney Marsh
• Kingsnorth Church of England Primary School Ashford
• All Soul's Church of England Primary School Folkestone
• Kennington Church of England Academy Ashford
• Downs View Infant School Ashford
• Charing Church of England Primary School Ashford
• Temple Ewell Church of England Primary School Dover
• Charlton Church of England Primary School Dover
• Guston Church of England Primary School Dover
• St Mary of Charity CofE (Aided) Primary School Faversham

What is St Nicholas Church of England Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Nicholas Church of England Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was St Nicholas Church of England Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

St Nicholas Church of England Primary Academy was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does St Nicholas Church of England Primary Academy have?

St Nicholas Church of England Primary Academy has 412 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Nicholas Church of England Primary Academy cover?

St Nicholas Church of England Primary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St Nicholas Church of England Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 56% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Nicholas Church of England Primary Academy?

St Nicholas Church of England Primary Academy is at Fairfield Road, New Romney, Kent, TN28 8BP.