Turner Free School

Turner Free School has made a strong impression in its first inspection, achieving a 'Good' rating across all areas. The school provides a nurturing environment where pupils enjoy their time and feel safe. Leaders have implemented a broad and ambitious curriculum, and there is a notable emphasis on personal development and well-being. Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the school has effectively adapted and continues to prioritize the needs of its students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and treated respectfully.
• Strong relationships between staff and pupils.
• Ambitious and broad curriculum design.
• Effective support for weakest readers.
• High levels of participation in extra-curricular activities.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum organization in design and technology and computing needs improvement.
• Adaptations in physical education curriculum are not effective for some pupils with SEND.

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 Turner Free School attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.8% 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, 4.2% of pupils at Turner Free 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 Turner Free School had 16.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.1% 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, 23.0% of pupils at Turner Free School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.1% 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 2023–24 Turner Free School received £7,598 and spent £7,206 for each of its 951 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,239,000 (£1,303 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Turner Schools, income was £7,678 and spending £7,576 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 · Kent local authority: places and applications

Turner Free School is part of Turner Schools, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Morehall Primary School and Nursery Folkestone
• Folkestone Academy Folkestone
• Folkestone Primary Folkestone
• Martello Primary Folkestone
• Dover Christ Church Academy Dover
• Chartham Primary School Canterbury
• St Stephen's Infant School Canterbury

What is Turner Free School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Turner Free School is Good, from an inspection in January 2023.

When was Turner Free School last inspected by Ofsted?

Turner Free School was last inspected in January 2023.

How many pupils does Turner Free School have?

Turner Free School has 997 pupils on roll.

What age range does Turner Free School cover?

Turner Free School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Turner Free School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 39.4, and 30% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Turner Free School?

Turner Free School is at Tile Kiln Lane, Cheriton, Folkestone, CT19 4PB.