The Royal Harbour Academy

The Royal Harbour Academy requires significant improvement following its May 2026 full inspection. While leaders have created a caring, inclusive culture with strong safeguarding, effective SEND and disadvantaged pupil support, and good personal development, pupils' academic outcomes are weak. GCSE attainment is well below national averages, with a high proportion of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, making insufficient progress from their starting points. Mathematics is a particular weakness, where knowledge gaps persist or widen.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met with an open and positive culture
• Leaders identify and support pupils with SEND effectively
• Disadvantaged pupils benefit from thoughtful strategies to reduce barriers
• Personal development curriculum is well designed around school values
• Pupils understand how to stay safe online and in the community
• Sixth-form students achieve well and move on to ambitious pathways
• Pupils receive helpful careers advice and guidance

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils do not attain as well as they should in GCSE examinations
• A high proportion of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, make insufficient progress
• Quality of teaching varies considerably across the school
• Many staff do not adapt teaching to meet the needs of pupils with SEND
• Assessment is not used consistently well to identify misconceptions and gaps
• Pupils do not develop secure mathematical knowledge or problem-solving skills
• Attendance is not as high as it should be
• Sometimes pupils are not purposefully focused in lessons
• Occasionally, pupils are unclear about prejudicial or derogatory language
• Support to catch up in some subject areas is not effective
• Leaders' actions have not had sufficient impact in some areas

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 The Royal Harbour Academy attended 84.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 43.3% 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, 14.1% of pupils at The Royal Harbour Academy 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 The Royal Harbour Academy had 15.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.9% 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, 28.6% of pupils at The Royal Harbour Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 7.2% 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 2024–25 The Royal Harbour Academy received £10,143 and spent £10,118 for each of its 1,016 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £252,000 (£248 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Coastal Academies Trust, income was £8,088 and spending £8,050 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 Ramsgate · Kent local authority: places and applications

The Royal Harbour Academy is part of Coastal Academies Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Newington Community Primary School Ramsgate
• Dane Court Grammar School Broadstairs
• Hartsdown Academy Margate
• Cliftonville Primary School Margate
• King Ethelbert School Birchington

What is The Royal Harbour Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Royal Harbour Academy is Urgent improvement, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was The Royal Harbour Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Royal Harbour Academy was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does The Royal Harbour Academy have?

The Royal Harbour Academy has 1,045 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Royal Harbour Academy cover?

The Royal Harbour Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Royal Harbour Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 31.1, and 16% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Royal Harbour Academy?

The Royal Harbour Academy is at Marlowe Way, Ramsgate, Kent, CT12 6FA.