St Edmund's Catholic School, Dover

Ofsted's report card from its 9 September 2026 inspection grades St Edmund's Catholic School on 6 areas: 1 strong standard and 5 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Inclusion - Strong standard. "This is a highly inclusive school."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils generally achieve well and increasingly so over time."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Pupils generally attend school regularly."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have developed a broad, ambitious and inclusive curriculum."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders are ambitious and always act in the best interests of pupils."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Pastoral provision is particularly effective."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that all teachers use regular checks on learning to inform the next steps in curriculum delivery"; "Leaders should evaluate the impact of the personal development curriculum to ensure that pupils have a secure understanding of citizenship"; "Leaders should continue to embed their attendance strategy to bring about rapid improvements in the attendance of all pupils and a reduction in persistent absence".

In 2026, pupils at St Edmund's Catholic School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 33.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 48.1 in Kent and 47 across England.

18% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 49% in Kent and 47% in England.

That is down from 39 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.15: pupils made below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 29.5, against 37.3 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 7.8 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 24 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.

For September 2026 entry, 136 families put St Edmund's Catholic School as their first choice and 462 named it as one of their preferences, for 138 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 20 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to St Edmund's Catholic School are Dover Grammar School for Girls (0.2 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 56.7); Duke of York's Royal Military School (0.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 58.9); Dover Grammar School for Boys (0.9 miles, Good, selective, Attainment 8 63.1); and Astor Secondary School (1 mile, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 30.3).

St Edmund's Catholic School's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.

St Edmund's Catholic School is one of 33 schools run by Kent Catholic Schools' Partnership, an academy trust.

Of the 102 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 86% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 56% to a further education college and 2% to an apprenticeship.

43.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 173 pupils (26.9%) received SEN support and 27 (4.2%) 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 a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.

The nearest railway station is Dover Priory Rail Station, about 1130 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).

3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Charlton Primary School (outside), 200 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 416 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Kent (101), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, St Edmund's Catholic School issued 121 suspensions, 18.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to St Edmund's Catholic School are Charlton Church of England Primary School (0.1 miles), Barton Junior School (0.2 miles), St Richard's Catholic Primary School (0.3 miles) and Shatterlocks Infant and Nursery School (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.