School Chooser

Charlton Church of England Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademyChurch of England206 pupilsDoverKent
School Chooser Score
9
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 4 to 19
Out of 100. Better than 18% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, November 2023
Reached the expected level at 1145%England 63%
Attendance93.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families44%Far more than most schools
Places4 spare206 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher20.6School workforce census

Charlton Church of England Primary School is a sponsored academy in Dover for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 206 pupils and room for 210. About 44 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 9 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 18% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Barton Road, Dover, CT16 2LX01304 201275charlton.kent.sch.ukMs Sarah Graham headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 22 November 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1145%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level3%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score102.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score100.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 62%62%20172018: 79%79%20182019: 71%71%20192023: 60%60%20232024: 41%41%20242025: 45%45%2025
Since 2017: -17%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017KentEngland
Pupils tested292930242829
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths45%41%60%71%79%62%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths3%0%3%8%11%7%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score102.0102.0104.0104.0105.0106.0105.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score100.099.0103.0105.0105.0103.0104.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score102.0103.0105.0106.0103.0102.0104.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard55%59%73%71%82%83%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard55%45%73%83%82%62%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)76%76%77%96%93%86%
Reading progressReading progress score-2.3-0.7+0.4+0.7
Maths progressMaths progress score-3.2-0.1+0.5-1.8
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged29%20%25%63%50%70%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged67%53%73%75%86%58%

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. 1 of the 3 gaps 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 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
29%67%
Gap 38 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
33%48%
Gap 15 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%3%
Gap 3 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. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Nearly full208 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
99% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have grown by 6% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.

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 roll206Census January 2026
Places21098% full
Pupils from low-income families44%44% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English24%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support17%34 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%7 pupils with a plan
Average class size29.56 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)41%£131,750 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls102 / 104
White British pupils66%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.5 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (15), emotional and mental health (9), language and communications needs (6), Moderate learning difficulty (4), Specific learning difficulty (4), Other difficulty or disability (3).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll206206204199196200
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals44%45%40%36%29%26%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language24%23%20%16%14%13%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support13%18%13%10%12%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%2%4%2%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school19.4%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.52024/25, 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 absence6.9%6.0%7.4%7.5%3.5%4.5%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.7%5.0%5.6%6.0%2.5%3.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.2%1.0%1.8%1.5%1.0%1.3%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence19.4%21.7%23.0%25.7%10.1%12.6%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.50.50.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers10.0full-time equivalent, 12 people
Pupils per teacher20.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants11.6full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£46,174
Teachers who left in the year11%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher7.52024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£6,490England £7,128. Total £1.3m
Income per pupil£6,854England £7,587. Total £1.4m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,859England £3,405
Money in reserve16%A healthy amount put by: £222k, £1,076 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£75kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,490spent 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 m71812 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate113 per 1,000 people24% higher than the England average
Typical house price£295,000Dover
Nearest bus stop60 mCharlton Primary School, 8 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
Barton Junior SchoolAcademy230 m202Good 202432Compare
St Richard's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy370 m191Good 202222Compare
Shatterlocks Infant and Nursery SchoolAcademy810 m138Not inspectedCompare
Priory Fields SchoolAcademy0.6 miles319Good 20248Compare
Guston Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 milesGood 2021Compare
Dover, St Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England0.7 miles161No overall grade 20259Compare
White Cliffs Primary and Nursery SchoolAcademy0.8 miles277Good 202422Compare
Green Park Community Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles374Outstanding 202315Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Charlton Church of England 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.

Beats18%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 9 is 20 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 2 · middle 29 · highest 79100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 9 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 9% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 4 to 19. 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%below
-0.23
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 29 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 2.8 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.18
DfE progress measure; 29 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.14
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.10
2024/25; 180 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.09
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 29 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 Charlton Church of England Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. Charlton Church of England Primary School scores 9 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 18% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 4 to 19, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Charlton Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Charlton Church of England Primary School good at its last full inspection on 22 November 2023.

How good are Charlton Church of England Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 45% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 3% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Charlton Church of England Primary School have?

206 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 98% full.

Is Charlton Church of England Primary School oversubscribed?

Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.

What is attendance like at Charlton Church of England Primary School?

Pupils were in school 93.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 19% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Charlton Church of England Primary School?

The average class had 29.5 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class 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
Barton Road, Dover, CT16 2LX
Telephone
01304 201275
Website
www.charlton.kent.sch.uk
Headteacher
Ms Sarah Graham
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Canterbury
Multi-academy trust
The Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust (18 schools)
Local authority
Kent
Ward
Buckland
Constituency
Dover and Deal
Setting
Urban: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 March 2015 (new provision)
URN
141659 · LAESTAB 8862058 · UKPRN 10048211
Formerly
Charlton Church of England Primary School

Where these figures come from