Palm Bay Primary School

Palm Bay Primary School is a happy, busy and friendly school where pupils achieve well and usually behave well. Inspectors found high expectations across the school, strong support for pupils with SEND, effective phonics teaching and a curriculum that is increasingly well designed so staff know what to teach and when. Leadership and management, behaviour and attitudes, early years provision and quality of education were all found to be good, while personal development was outstanding. The school makes an exceptionally strong contribution to pupils’ personal development and well-being, including through enrichment linked to its coastal location, a wide range of responsibilities, high participation in clubs and a strong focus on mental health. Safeguarding is effective. This was the school’s first section 5 inspection since it became an academy and joined EKC Schools Trust, and it has a relatively new headteacher and senior leadership team; under current arrangements no overall effectiveness grade was given. The main areas for improvement are the curriculum in a few foundation subjects, where disciplinary skills are less well developed than substantive knowledge, and attendance, where some pupils are absent too often without good reason and consequently miss important learning. A few pupils also occasionally lose focus in lessons, although this is usually addressed with a gentle reminder.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well and are increasingly well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• The school sets high expectations for achievement and behaviour regardless of ability or background.
• Pupils with SEND benefit from high-quality support and learn well.
• Personal development and well-being are exceptionally strong.
• The school uses its coastal location and a wide range of activities to enrich learning.
• Pupils take on responsibilities such as house captain, play leader and school councillor.
• Clubs and activities are accessible, with high participation rates.
• Mental health is given strong priority and pupils know who to speak to when worried.
• Curriculum design is clear about the knowledge pupils need and when it will be taught.
• Staff teach the curriculum confidently and effectively.
• Pupils’ needs are identified accurately and suitable support is put in place.
• Phonics is taught consistently well from Reception through key stages 1 and 2.
• Effective support for weaker readers helps ensure no one is left behind.
• Pupils work calmly and industriously and treat adults and each other with respect.
• A carefully sequenced programme of activities and experiences underpins curriculum and wider school life.
• The art and design curriculum makes a strong contribution to pupils’ enjoyment and cultural development.
• The school uses a wide range of strategies to encourage and reward good attendance.
• Communication with parents has been strengthened and most parents are positive about the school.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few foundation subjects, disciplinary skills are less well developed than substantive knowledge, so pupils are less secure in applying knowledge to explain ideas or interpret information.
• Some pupils are absent from school too often without good reason and miss important learning.
• A few pupils sometimes lose focus in lessons, becoming chatty and fidgety.

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 Palm Bay Primary School attended 94.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.6% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Palm Bay 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 Palm Bay Primary School had 19.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.6% 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, 12.0% of pupils at Palm Bay Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.7% 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 Palm Bay Primary School received £6,434 and spent £6,369 for each of its 414 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £373,000 (£900 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Ekc Schools Trust Limited, income was £7,396 and spending £7,195 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 Margate · Kent local authority: places and applications

Palm Bay Primary School is part of Ekc Schools Trust Limited, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Minster Church of England Primary School Ramsgate
• Monkton Church of England Primary School Ramsgate
• Thornden Wood Primary School Herne Bay
• Aylesham Primary School Canterbury
• The Churchill School Folkestone
• Bysing Wood Primary School Faversham
• Teynham Parochial Church of England Primary School Sittingbourne
• EKC Sheppey Secondary Sheerness
• Queenborough School and Nursery Queenborough
• East Stour Primary School Ashford

What is Palm Bay Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Palm Bay Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Palm Bay Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Palm Bay Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Palm Bay Primary School have?

Palm Bay Primary School has 407 pupils on roll.

What age range does Palm Bay Primary School cover?

Palm Bay Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

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

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

Where is Palm Bay Primary School?

Palm Bay Primary School is at Palm Bay Avenue, Cliftonville, Margate, Kent, CT9 3PP.