Horizon Primary Academy, Swanley
Horizon Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Swanley, part of The Kemnal Academies Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the highest of the 5 schools in Swanley with published results, and 3,694th of 14,452 across England. It was 95% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Kent (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Horizon Primary Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 88% of Year 6 pupils at Horizon Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 81% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in Kent and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 86% in reading and 89% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Horizon Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 25 families put Horizon Primary Academy as their first choice and 78 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 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 Horizon Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Horizon Primary Academy are St Bartholomew's Catholic Primary School, Swanley (0.2 miles); St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 66% reading, 72% maths); High Firs Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 77% reading, 73% maths); and Downsview Community Primary School (0.7 miles, Requires improvement, 67% reading, 63% maths).
Horizon Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
St Bartholomew's Catholic Primary School, SwanleySt Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolHigh Firs Primary SchoolDownsview Community Primary School
The trust
Horizon Primary Academy is one of 45 schools run by The Kemnal Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
41.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 30 pupils (15.4%) received SEN support and 13 (6.7%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Swanley Rail Station, about 850 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Garrolds Close (adjacent), 150 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Horizon Primary Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 171 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Kent (101), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Horizon Primary Academy issued 30 suspensions, 14.9 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 multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; 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 agoThis judgement is from November 2018, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good and may be improving; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils achieve exceptionally well. By the end of key stage 2, many pupils achieve the highest standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils thrive due to excellent relationships and a shared commitment by staff to ensure that all lessons have a strong impact on pupils' learning. Disadvantaged pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are very well prepared for their next stage of education. The school's approach to promoting pupils' good attendance is exemplary. Leaders use innovative approaches that build a determined culture of prioritising attendance at the school.
Pupils feel safe and are happy. Staff have high expectations for pupils' behaviour. They manage this skilfully, with a focus on rewards that helps pupils to be successful. Bullying is taken seriously. The school acts quickly to ensure that any issues are resolved. Pupils are passionate about their learning and support each other wonderfully. They contribute positively to each other's well-being. Pupils love the responsibilities they have, for example as school councillors, language leaders and members of the 'safety squad' who help with issues such as promoting online safety. Pupils build a sense of belonging through whole-school initiatives, such as performing songs in Makaton or running lunchtime sports clubs that all pupils can attend.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school is highly ambitious for all pupils. The curriculum equips pupils with the essential knowledge and skills that they need. For example, the teaching of phonics and early reading helps to unlock education for children from the start of Reception effectively. Mathematics teaching helps pupils to solve increasingly challenging problems in fluent and efficient ways. In foundation subjects, the school precisely identifies core knowledge to help staff construct clear, connected sequences of lessons. Pupils start strongly in Reception and build their knowledge cumulatively over time. In subjects such as art and design, pupils study artists and learn about drawing techniques, including the use of line, tone and patterns, in increasingly sophisticated ways. Pupils' work in books is consistently of a high quality. Pupils use subject-specific vocabulary confidently. Staff constantly check how well pupils have learned the curriculum and help any pupils who have gaps in their learning to catch up quickly.
From Ofsted's April 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2018 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
41.5%
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 88% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 89% to 81% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 81% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.3
Avg class size
28.3
KS2
3
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Horizon Primary Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Horizon Primary Academy.
- West Hill Life Ltd820m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Horizon Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Horizon Primary Academy 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
- 28
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 28 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 6 serious and 21 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
4 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 Horizon Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Horizon Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Horizon Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Horizon Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Horizon Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Kent, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Horizon Primary Academy 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
95%
Near capacity
199 pupils
210 places
11 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Swanley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Swanley
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(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
30
SEN Support
13
EHC Plans
22.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
195
Total Pupils
107
Boys
88
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
21.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,187
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,119
Per pupil
£1414k
Total funding
£132k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.1%
Overall absence
14.8%
Persistent absence
176
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Horizon Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Horizon Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Horizon Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Horizon Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 88% reached the expected standard in reading and 81% did so in maths.
What is Horizon Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Horizon Primary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Horizon Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Horizon Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Kent allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Horizon Primary Academy?
Horizon Primary Academy was close to full in 2025, at 95% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Horizon Primary Academy?
Classes at Horizon Primary Academy average 28.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Horizon Primary Academy?
Horizon Primary Academy has around 195 pupils on roll. 42% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Horizon Primary Academy?
5.1% of sessions were missed at Horizon Primary Academy in 2024/25. 14.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Horizon Primary Academy?
Apply through Kent's coordinated admissions process, naming Horizon Primary Academy 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.
Does Horizon Primary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Horizon Primary Academy: West Hill Life Ltd (820m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Horizon Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 28 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 6 serious and 21 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 4 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 Horizon Primary Academy?
Horizon Primary Academy is at Hilda May Avenue, Swanley, Kent, BR8 7BT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)