School Chooser

Nonington Church of England Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedChurch of England45 pupils Free breakfast clubDoverKent
School Chooser Score
3
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 1 to 11
Out of 100. Better than 17% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, October 2024
Reached the expected level at 110%England 63%
Attendance87.0%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families47%Far more than most schools
Places41 spare45 pupils, 86 places
Pupils per teacher10.0School workforce census

Nonington Church of England Primary School is a Church of England school (voluntary controlled) in Dover for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 45 pupils and room for 86. About 47 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 3 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 17% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Church Street, Nonington, Dover, CT15 4LB01304 840348noningtonprimary.co.ukMrs Victoria Solly headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 8 October 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

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

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

6 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 score93.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score89.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 30%30%20172018: 13%13%20182019: 17%17%20192023: 33%33%20232024: 17%17%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2017: -30%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017KentEngland
Pupils tested66126810
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%17%33%17%13%30%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score93.0100.0102.096.099.0110.0105.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score89.094.097.091.098.0104.0104.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score89.093.099.095.099.0104.0104.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard17%50%50%33%50%80%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard17%17%33%33%38%70%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%33%67%50%63%40%
Reading progressReading progress score-3.7-0.1-3.3+4.8
Maths progressMaths progress score-7.1-6.3-3.7-0.6

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.

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.

Plenty of spare places54 pupils for 84 places, 2024/25
64% full

30 places were empty (36% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 20% 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 roll45Census January 2026
Places8652% full
Pupils from low-income families47%47% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English2%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support47%21 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan11%5 pupils with a plan
Average class size15.03 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)52%£40,300 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls20 / 25
White British pupils89%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (11), language and communications needs (8), emotional and mental health (3), Other difficulty or disability (2), Specific learning difficulty (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll455839384652
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals47%64%62%58%46%42%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language2%2%3%0%0%4%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support47%26%21%15%15%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans14%10%8%7%8%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 87.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance87.0%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school46.2%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils48.32024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission5.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence13.0%10.4%7.6%8.8%5.8%4.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence7.2%5.6%4.8%5.4%4.5%3.5%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence5.8%4.8%2.8%3.5%1.3%1.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence46.2%30.2%22.2%26.1%19.2%7.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate48.35.17.915.23.9
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers4.5full-time equivalent, 5 people
Pupils per teacher10.0Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants4.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£40,716
Teachers who left in the year33%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher4.42024/25

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£10,933England £7,738. Total £634k
Income per pupil£10,385England £7,697. Total £602k
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,119England £3,480
Money in reserve7%Not much put by: £40k, £695 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£32kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£10,933spent 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 m512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate66 per 1,000 people28% lower than the England average
Typical house price£295,000Dover
Nearest bus stop540 mThe Royal Oak, 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
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, AyleshamAcademy0.7 miles140Good 202142Compare
Aylesham Primary SchoolAcademy1.2 miles382Good 2023Compare
Goodnestone Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England1.6 miles48Good 202461Compare
Adisham Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy2.0 miles101Report card 202594Compare
Eythorne Elvington Community Primary SchoolCouncil2.3 miles111Outstanding 202244Compare
Shepherdswell Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England2.8 miles213Report card 202679Compare
Barham Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England3.2 miles210Good 202359Compare
Wingham Primary SchoolCouncil3.2 miles204Report card 202659Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Nonington Church of England Primary School with the 47 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 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats17%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 3 is 19 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 22 · highest 79100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 3 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 3% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 1 to 11. 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%well below
-0.26
2023 results; 12 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%below
-0.15
Ofsted grade, 1.9 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.14
DfE progress measure; 12 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.32
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.24
2024/25; 52 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well below
-0.11
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 12 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 Nonington Church of England Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. Nonington Church of England Primary School scores 3 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 17% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 1 to 11, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

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

Ofsted rated Nonington Church of England Primary School not judged at its last full inspection on 8 October 2024.

How good are Nonington Church of England Primary 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 Nonington Church of England Primary School have?

45 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 86 places, so it is 52% full.

Is Nonington Church of England Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 30 places were empty in 2024/25 (36% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

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

Pupils were in school 87.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 46% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

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

The average class had 15.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does Nonington Church of England Primary School have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

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

Contact and details

Address
Church Street, Nonington, Dover, CT15 4LB
Telephone
01304 840348
Website
www.noningtonprimary.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Victoria Solly
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Church of England school (voluntary controlled) (Voluntary controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Canterbury
Local authority
Kent
Ward
Aylesham, Eythorne & Shepherdswell
Constituency
Dover and Deal
Setting
Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
URN
118688 · LAESTAB 8863171 · UKPRN 10078869

Where these figures come from