School Chooser

Ifield School

Special · ages 4-19MixedFoundation special school282 pupilsSixth formGravesendKent
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedOutstandingConfirmed by Ofsted, November 2023
Reached the expected level at 110%England 63%
Attendance90.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families46%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull282 pupils, 223 places
Pupils per teacher7.8School workforce census

Ifield School is a foundation special school in Gravesend for boys and girls aged 4 to 19. It has 282 pupils, 59 more than it has places for. About 46 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2023.

Cedar Avenue, Gravesend, DA12 5JT01474 365485ifieldschool.comMrs Madeleine Arnold-Jones headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 2 November 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Outstanding 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

GCSE results, summer 2025

23 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE scoreOfficial name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-1.51In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2016/17, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018KentEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11232021162012

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

17 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 110%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%20232024: 0%0%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2017: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017KentEngland
Pupils tested171822181711
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%10%8%
Expected level: readingReading expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-8.3-2.8-1.7-7.6
Maths progressMaths progress score-7.4-2.4-1.9-8.0
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged0%0%0%0%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged0%0%0%0%

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.

A level and sixth-form results, 2017

42 students finished sixth-form courses.

Average A level gradeNE
All sixth-form measures, year by year
Measure20172016
Students4240
Average A level gradeNENE

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 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 21 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 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.

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 the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll282Census January 2026
Places223126% full
Pupils from low-income families47%46% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English20%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%282 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)45%£134,100 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls208 / 74
White British pupils61%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, other needs, profound and multiple learning difficulties, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Kent with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (202), language and communications needs (35), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (21), Severe learning difficulty (13), Moderate learning difficulty (4), Physical disability (4).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll282276277265264250
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals47%44%44%41%42%39%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language20%19%20%19%21%22%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance90.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school33.2%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence9.9%12.1%12.1%16.3%21.1%10.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence8.0%10.1%10.4%14.4%19.2%8.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.9%2.0%1.7%2.0%1.9%1.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence33.2%38.0%37.4%50.2%60.1%28.5%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 21 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training100%and stayed there for at least six months

Among pupils from low-income families it was 100%, compared with 100% for everyone else.

Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training100%94%100%100%
Education100%94%100%100%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%0%
Work0%0%0%0%
Not in education, work or training0%0%0%0%

Staff and money

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

Teachers36.4full-time equivalent, 44 people
Pupils per teacher7.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers91%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants91.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£53,197
Teachers who left in the year31%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher7.82024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£31,478England £32,258. Total £8.7m
Income per pupil£31,861England £32,367. Total £8.8m
Spent on teachers per pupil£11,605England £11,930
Money in reserve10%A healthy amount put by: £832k, £3,016 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out+£106kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£31,478spent 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 m56912 months to June 2026, mostly anti-social behaviour
Local crime rate112 per 1,000 people23% higher than the England average
Typical house price£360,000Gravesham
Nearest bus stop190 mChristian Fields Avenue, 12 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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
King's Farm Primary SchoolCouncil130 m468Good 202445Compare
Singlewell Primary SchoolCouncil790 m402Good 202337Compare
Whitehill Primary SchoolAcademy1000 m515Requires improvement 20242Compare
The Riverview AcademyAcademy0.7 miles784Good 202116Compare
Tymberwood AcademyAcademy0.8 miles394Good 202246Compare
Saint George's Church of England SchoolAcademy1.0 miles1,631Good 202343Compare
Thamesview SchoolFoundation1.0 miles978Good 202417Compare
Shears Green Junior SchoolFoundation1.1 miles493Good 202325Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Ifield School a good school?

Ifield School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it outstanding at its last inspection in November 2023.

What is Ifield School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Ifield School outstanding at its last full inspection on 2 November 2023.

How good are Ifield School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Ifield School have?

282 pupils aged 4 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 223 places, so it is 126% full.

What is attendance like at Ifield School?

Pupils were in school 90.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 33% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Ifield School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for autism, other needs, profound and multiple learning difficulties, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does Ifield School have a sixth form?

Yes. The average A level grade in 2017 was NE.

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

Contact and details

Address
Cedar Avenue, Gravesend, DA12 5JT
Telephone
01474 365485
Website
www.ifieldschool.com
Headteacher
Mrs Madeleine Arnold-Jones
Type of school
Foundation special school (Foundation special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 4-19, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Trust
Kent Special Educational Needs Trust (KSENT) (11 schools)
Local authority
Kent
Ward
Singlewell
Constituency
Gravesham
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
119040 · LAESTAB 8867039 · UKPRN 10016983

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from