OFSTED
25 April 2023
Latest graded inspection
Latest published outcome
Good
OEIF
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour & attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership & management
Good
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy converter
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Kent
Trust
TENTERDEN SCHOOLS TRUST
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
1,772
1,772 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
908
51.2% of pupils
Male pupils
864
48.8% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
2.6 pts
above England
School
27.4%
Ashford
24.1%
South East
19.0%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
16.5 pts
below England
School
3.8%
Ashford
14.6%
South East
15.6%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
3.3 pts
above England
School
4.3%
Ashford
3.2%
South East
1.7%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
78.9%
1,398
Any other White background
5.9%
104
Unclassified
4.7%
83
Any other Mixed background
1.8%
32
Gypsy / Roma
1.6%
29
Any other ethnic group
1.1%
20
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
16.0%
284 of
1,772 pupils
4.8 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
3.1 pts
below
England
6.0%
1.7 pts
below
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
39.7
0.5 pts
above England
Latest published: -0.35 · 2023/24
Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
11.39%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
5.18 pts
higher than
England
School
11.39%
Ashford
6.65%
South East
6.30%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
32.82%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
17.00 pts
higher than
England
School
32.82%
Ashford
17.11%
South East
15.75%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
6.30%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
4.50 pts
higher than
England
School
6.30%
Ashford
2.35%
South East
1.93%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open secondary schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
82.2%
10.1 pts
below England
Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre
82.2%
Ashford
96.8%
South East
95.0%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.