School Chooser

Challock Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedFoundation212 pupilsAshfordKent
School Chooser Score
89
Well above
similar schools
Likely range 77 to 95, so it could be “above”
Out of 100. Better than 96% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedOutstandingLast Ofsted inspection, July 2023
Reached the expected level at 1167%England 63%
Attendance95.5%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families12%Far fewer than most schools
PlacesFull212 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher23.3School workforce census

Challock Primary School is a foundation school in Ashford for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 212 pupils, 2 more than it has places for. About 12 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 89 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 96% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2023.

Church Lane, Challock, Ashford, TN25 4BU01233 740286challockprimaryschool.co.ukMrs Susan Sweet headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 11 July 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Outstanding overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Outstanding
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Outstanding
Early years
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

30 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1167%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level17%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score107.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score105.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 61%61%20172018: 63%63%20182019: 73%73%20192023: 80%80%20232024: 57%57%20242025: 67%67%2025
Since 2017: +6%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017KentEngland
Pupils tested302830303031
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths67%57%80%73%63%61%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths17%14%20%17%13%6%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score107.0105.0110.0106.0106.0104.0105.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score105.0104.0106.0106.0103.0103.0104.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score107.0106.0108.0109.0107.0106.0104.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard77%71%87%80%87%71%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard77%64%83%77%80%68%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)83%75%83%77%77%87%
Reading progressReading progress score+3.1+0.8+0.1-0.4
Maths progressMaths progress score+1.5-0.1-1.5-0.9

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
64%68%
Gap 4 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Full213 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
101% full

The school is full, with 3 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Kent council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll212Census January 2026
Places210101% full
Pupils from low-income families12%12% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support14%29 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan2%4 pupils with a plan
Average class size30.26 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils33%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)11%£37,200 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls111 / 101
White British pupils86%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.7 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 30.7 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (12), emotional and mental health (9), Autistic spectrum disorder (7), Specific learning difficulty (2), language and communications needs (2), Multi-sensory impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll212209210210210207
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals12%12%10%8%6%6%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language4%3%3%3%3%3%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support8%10%10%9%8%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%3%1%2%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.5%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school8.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.5%5.4%5.1%5.2%7.1%3.3%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.3%4.2%4.2%4.3%6.9%2.6%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.2%1.1%0.9%0.8%0.2%0.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence8.0%8.2%9.3%10.3%27.0%3.2%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers9.1full-time equivalent, 10 people
Pupils per teacher23.3Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants6.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£52,938
Teachers who left in the year25%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher3.72024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£6,114England £7,738. Total £1.3m
Income per pupil£5,878England £7,697. Total £1.2m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,201England £3,480
Money in reserve2%Very little put by: £20k, £97 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£49kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£6,114spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m1412 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate55 per 1,000 people40% lower than the England average
Typical house price£345,000Ashford
Nearest bus stop530 mThe Stag, 0 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Goat Lees Primary SchoolFoundation3.1 miles207Not inspected13Compare
Downs View Infant SchoolAcademy3.2 milesNot inspectedCompare
Kennington Church of England AcademyAcademy3.3 miles355Good 202327Compare
Lady Joanna Thornhill Endowed Primary SchoolVoluntary3.4 miles429No overall grade 202595Compare
Phoenix Community Primary SchoolFoundation3.6 miles190Good 202224Compare
Charing Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy3.6 miles199Report card 202667Compare
Sheldwich Primary SchoolAcademy3.9 miles246Outstanding 202497Compare
Repton Manor Primary SchoolFoundation4.2 miles420Good 202334Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Challock Primary School with the 49 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats96%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the very top of its group. Its score of 89 is 34 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 10 · middle 55 · highest 95100

No school with a similar mix of pupils within 25 km scores clearly higher.

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 89 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 89% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 77 to 95. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%in line
+0.09
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 30 pupils
Ofsted inspection20% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)well above
+0.42
Ofsted grade, 3.2 years old
Progress pupils make20%above
+0.09
DfE progress measure; 30 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.06
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.06
2024/25; 188 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%above
+0.04
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 30 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Challock Primary School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Challock Primary School scores 89 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 96% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 77 to 95, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Challock Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Challock Primary School outstanding at its last full inspection on 11 July 2023.

How good are Challock Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 67% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 17% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Challock Primary School have?

212 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 101% full.

Is Challock Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 3 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.

What is attendance like at Challock Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 8% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Challock Primary School?

The average class had 30.2 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 33% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Church Lane, Challock, Ashford, TN25 4BU
Telephone
01233 740286
Website
www.challockprimaryschool.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Susan Sweet
Type of school
Foundation school (Foundation school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Trust
CARE Foundation Trust (6 schools)
Local authority
Kent
Ward
Downs West
Constituency
Weald of Kent
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
118374 · LAESTAB 8862280 · UKPRN 10073110

Where these figures come from