Danecourt School, Gillingham
Danecourt School is a special school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Gillingham, part of Maritime Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Danecourt School in detail
Danecourt School in its own words
In its own words: "Danecourt School is a primary school for children with special educational needs. All the children attending Danecourt have an Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP). The school is split across three sites, located at Gillingham, Featherby and Bligh. Danecourt@Gillingham is the schools main site and provides education for approximately 190 of the children attending the school."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Danecourt School are Alchemy School (1 mile, Good); Rivermead School (1.5 miles, Good); Blue Skies School (2.1 miles, Good); and Bradfields Academy (2.3 miles, Outstanding).
Alchemy SchoolRivermead SchoolBlue Skies SchoolBradfields Academy
The trust
Danecourt School is one of 13 schools run by Maritime Academy Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
47 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Danecourt School (as of September 2025): 79% would recommend the school, 83% say their child is happy there and 65% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (83%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (65%).
Who goes there
54% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 5.8% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (73%), Black (10%) and Mixed (7%).
Almost every pupil at Danecourt School has an education, health and care plan (291 of 291 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Danecourt School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, multi-sensory impairment, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties: 290 places, 290 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Gillingham (Kent) Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Featherby Road South (opposite), 220 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Danecourt School issued 2 suspensions, 0.8 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from June 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school has improved significantly.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Danecourt School excels at understanding and meeting each pupil's individual needs, providing highly personalised learning pathways and therapy support integrated throughout the school day. Staff have high expectations for all pupils and work hard to build their confidence, independence and life skills. Pupils genuinely love attending school and feel safe, supported and part of a caring community.
Key Strengths
- Pupils feel safe, happy and proud of their school with excellent behaviour and strong relationships with staff
- Highly personalised learning with tailored support for each child's complex needs, including an impressive integrated therapy provision delivered in classrooms
- Effective reading and mathematics curricula with strong progress measured in small but consistent steps
- Excellent focus on pupils' personal, social and emotional development, independence, resilience and self-esteem
- Strong leadership with high expectations, continuous reflection and improvement, and excellent staff wellbeing practices
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong culture and systems in place.
Extracurricular Activities
Enrichment sessions, purposeful school trips focused on building confidence and developing life skills, personal/social/health education programme, communal activities developing character and cultural understanding
Danecourt School is a special school for pupils aged 4-11 with complex needs including autism, moderate learning difficulties, and speech/language needs. Evidence suggests the school has improved significantly since its last inspection in 2019 across all areas.
At a Glance
54.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Speech and language, Autism, SEMH +4
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
47 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Social & online
Keep up with Danecourt School
Before and after school care
Danecourt School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Medway
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Danecourt School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Danecourt School is in Medway; for families living there:
Apply to Medway for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 32
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 7
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 32 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 25 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 6 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 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 Medway is 25 (the median across 117 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
125%
Over capacity
291 pupils
233 places
58 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Gillingham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Gillingham
Across Medway council
Places available
3,844
Applications
3,586
Got 1st preference
80.4%
Got preferred school
96.8%
All secondary applications across Medway council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
291
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Danecourt School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, multi-sensory impairment, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties: 290 places, 290 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
291
Total Pupils
220
Boys
71
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
31
Teachers
9.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,833
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.1%
Overall absence
21.5%
Persistent absence
246
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Linked Schools
Schools linked by geographic proximity
Questions parents ask about Danecourt School
What are SATs results like at Danecourt School?
Of the pupils at Danecourt School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 0% reached the expected standard in reading and 0% did so in maths.
What is Danecourt School's Ofsted rating?
Danecourt School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Danecourt School?
No fixed boundary. When Danecourt School is oversubscribed, Medway allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Danecourt School?
Danecourt School has around 291 pupils on roll. 54% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Danecourt School have specialist SEN provision?
Danecourt School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, multi-sensory impairment, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties: 290 places, 290 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Danecourt School?
8.1% of sessions were missed at Danecourt School in 2024/25. 21.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Danecourt School?
Apply through Medway's coordinated admissions process, naming Danecourt School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
Does Danecourt School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Danecourt School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Danecourt School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 32 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 25 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 6 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 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 Medway is 25 (the median across 117 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Danecourt School?
Danecourt School is at Hotel Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 6AA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)