Dover Christ Church Academy

Dover Christ Church Academy is a visibly improving school that has undergone rapid change under its current leadership. Safeguarding is met, and the school is strong in attendance and behaviour, inclusion, leadership and governance, personal development and wellbeing, and post-16 provision. Pupils are happy, feel safe, behave well, and benefit from an inclusive culture, particularly those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. The specially resourced Aspen 2 provision and sixth-form offer are tailored well to complex needs. The main concern is achievement. Historic GCSE outcomes and Progress 8 have been well below national averages, especially for disadvantaged pupils, and although leaders have taken swift and effective action, it is too soon to see the full impact in national examinations. The inspection found teaching is typically well delivered and the curriculum ambitious, but the quality of teaching is not yet consistently high enough across the school. The next step is to ensure consistently high-quality teaching so pupils achieve well. This is a smaller-than-average secondary school in the Turner Schools multi-academy trust, with high proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and with education, health and care plans, and a specially resourced PMLD provision. There has also been a recent change in headteacher during the current school year.

Strengths

• Highly inclusive culture with rapid identification of barriers to learning
• Very effective support for pupils with SEND, including the Aspen 2 resourced provision
• Strong improvements in attendance, with effective individual-level monitoring and swift action
• Embedded positive behaviour culture with high expectations and rare bullying
• Swift and effective handling of prejudicial or abusive behaviour
• Highly effective use of pupil premium to support disadvantaged pupils
• Purposeful leadership with a precise understanding of strengths and priorities
• Governors provide robust support and accountability
• Well-taught personal development curriculum that prepares pupils for life in modern Britain
• Rich enrichment and careers education, including the Turner 25 offer
• Bespoke sixth-form provision tailored to local context and students' complex needs
• High-quality pastoral care and strong relationships between staff and pupils
• Pupils with SEND make very positive progress from their starting points
• Staff feel well supported, and early career teachers make an excellent start

Areas for Improvement

• Historic achievement in national examinations has been weak
• GCSE outcomes and Progress 8 remain below national averages
• Disadvantaged pupils' attainment and progress are well below national averages, with large gaps
• It is too soon to see the full impact of leaders' actions on GCSE outcomes
• Teaching is not yet consistently high quality across the school
• Curriculum and teaching are rated expected standard, not yet strong
• Leaders need to ensure consistently high-quality teaching so pupils achieve well across the school

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 Dover Christ Church Academy attended 91.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 28.0% 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, 4.0% of pupils at Dover Christ Church 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 Dover Christ Church Academy had 14.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.2% 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, 20.6% of pupils at Dover Christ Church Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 11.0% 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 Dover Christ Church Academy received £9,436 and spent £9,490 for each of its 815 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £208,000 (£256 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 Dover · Kent local authority: places and applications

Dover Christ Church Academy is part of Turner Schools, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Martello Primary Folkestone
• Folkestone Academy Folkestone
• Folkestone Primary Folkestone
• Turner Free School Folkestone
• Morehall Primary School and Nursery Folkestone
• St Stephen's Infant School Canterbury
• Chartham Primary School Canterbury

What is Dover Christ Church Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Dover Christ Church Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Dover Christ Church Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Dover Christ Church Academy was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Dover Christ Church Academy have?

Dover Christ Church Academy has 761 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dover Christ Church Academy cover?

Dover Christ Church Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Dover Christ Church Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 35.8, and 27% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Dover Christ Church Academy?

Dover Christ Church Academy is at Melbourne Avenue, Dover, CT16 2EG.