Bethersden Primary School, Ashford
Bethersden Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Ashford. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 32nd-highest of the 45 schools in Ashford with published results, and 11,772nd of 14,452 across England. It was 84% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Kent (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Bethersden Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils at Bethersden Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 54% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in Kent and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 80% in reading and 73% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Bethersden Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 17 families put Bethersden Primary School as their first choice and 42 named it as one of their preferences, for 20 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Bethersden Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Bethersden Primary School are High Halden Church of England Primary School (2.4 miles, Good, 75% reading, 42% maths); Smarden Primary School (3 miles, Good, 89% reading, 89% maths); Chilmington Green Primary School (3.2 miles, Good, 67% reading, 58% maths); and Pluckley Church of England Primary School (3.3 miles, Good, 94% reading, 88% maths).
Bethersden Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
High Halden Church of England Primary SchoolSmarden Primary SchoolChilmington Green Primary SchoolPluckley Church of England Primary School
Who goes there
3.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Staffing
Bethersden Primary School had 8 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Pluckley Rail Station, about 2 miles away in a straight line.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is School (adjacent), 40 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 9 crimes within a mile of the school, most often criminal damage and arson, anti-social behaviour and vehicle crime. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Kent (101).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Bethersden Primary School issued 13 suspensions, 11.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its June 2023 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Early years.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
At a Glance
29.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 77% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 73% to 54% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 60% to 100% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.4
Avg class size
18.0
Infant (KS1)
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Bethersden Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Bethersden Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Bethersden Primary School is in Kent; for families living there:
Apply to Kent for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 2 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Kent is 11 (the median across 711 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Bethersden Primary School
Will you get a place at Bethersden Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Bethersden Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Bethersden Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Bethersden Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Kent, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Bethersden Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Kent got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
84%
Available places
117 pupils
140 places
23 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Ashford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Ashford
Across Kent council
Places available
18,893
Applications
16,593
Got 1st preference
89.7%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All primary applications across Kent council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
17
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
20.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
117
Total Pupils
68
Boys
49
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
8
Teachers
14.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,043
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,080
Per pupil
£772k
Total funding
£39k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.4%
Overall absence
10.1%
Persistent absence
109
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Bethersden Primary School
What are SATs results like at Bethersden Primary School?
Of the pupils at Bethersden Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 77% reached the expected standard in reading and 54% did so in maths.
What is Bethersden Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Bethersden Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2023.
What is the catchment area for Bethersden Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Bethersden Primary School is oversubscribed, Kent allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Bethersden Primary School?
Bethersden Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 84% of its 140 places.
How big are the classes at Bethersden Primary School?
Classes at Bethersden Primary School average 23.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Bethersden Primary School?
Bethersden Primary School has around 117 pupils on roll. 30% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Bethersden Primary School?
4.4% of sessions were missed at Bethersden Primary School in 2024/25. 10.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Bethersden Primary School?
Apply through Kent's coordinated admissions process, naming Bethersden Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Bethersden Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 2 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Kent is 11 (the median across 711 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Bethersden Primary School?
Bethersden Primary School is at School Road, Bethersden, Ashford, Kent, TN26 3AH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)