Mixed fortunes for district schools as tables rank the best and worst

The Canterbury district is home to some of the county’s highest and lowest-ranked primary schools in terms of pupil progress, new results reveal.

The Department for Education scores schools on the improvements children make between the ages of seven and 11, based on exams taken in Key Stages 1 and 2.

It also shows the percentage of pupils at each school achieving the “expected standard” in reading, writing and maths.

This year’s figures show a dramatic fall from grace for Adisham C of E Primary School, which is ranked lowest across the district’s 39 primaries in terms of progress, and 416th out of 420 across the county.

The school was given progress scores of -6.7 for reading, -0.6 for writing and -7 for maths, against Kent averages of zero, 0.4 and -0.3 respectively.

Just 29% of Adisham’s pupils hit the expected standard in read- ing, writing and maths - a staggering 44% fewer than last year, and way below the 67% county average.

The school, which was rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted inspectors last year, is run by the Stour Academy Trust.

Its CEO, Simon O’keefe, said: “Clearly we are very disappointed that the hard work of our children was not reflected in the one-off test of which these scores are based.

“Adisham’s early years, phonics and KS1 performance remains above national average and parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school.”

Parkside Community Primary School in Sturry is the fifth lowest-ranked in the county in terms of progress - and second lowest in the district.

Just one quarter of the school’s pupils hit expected targets this year - remaining the same as 2017.

Acting head Gina Sutherland says work is ongoing to improve results.

She said: “As a small school we work extremely hard towards the achievements of our pupils and we are focused on improving outcomes across the board.

“We have made significant progress towards improving many aspects of the school and work continues in these areas at a rapid pace as we head towards 2019. We are confident that the robust action plan we have in place will have the desired impact and that improvement will continue.”

But Canterbury is also home to the fourth highest-ranked school in Kent.

Children at Preston Primary School in Mill Lane scored a 5.3 progress score for reading, 4.2 for writing and 5 for maths - well above the county average - with 82% of children hitting core subject targets.

Executive head teacher Linda Taylor said: “These results are testament to the hard work and dedication of the pupils, staff, governors and parents of Preston Primary School.

“It is very much a family who work together to enable each and every child to make as much progress as they possibly can, not just in English and maths but across the whole curriculum and, more importantly, socially and emotionally.”

Other schools in the area have shown great promise in turning around performances from previous years.

One success story comes from Reculver Primary School in Herne Bay. The school - rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted five years after being in special measures - has seen a 25% increase in the number of pupils hitting expected targets in core subjects compared to last year, and is now ranked sixth in the district for progress.

Head teacher Jenny Ashley- Jones said: “We have worked tirelessly to establish high expectations and consistent approaches to the way that we teach - particularly in maths and English - to make sure high standards are started early and built upon every year.”

Ninety-four per cent of children at Whitstable & Seasalter Endowed C of E Aided Junior School achieved the expected standard in core subjects - the highest percentage of any school in the Canterbury district and Faversham.

Head teacher Ellen Butcher said: “We are delighted to have such great results and this is testament to our lovely children, dedicated staff and the support from our families.”

n For full results for primaries in Kent, visit bit.ly/2blkj3e.