St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Tenterden
St Michael's Church of England Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Tenterden, part of Tenterden Schools Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 361st-highest of the 432 schools in Kent with published results, and 12,528th of 14,452 across England. It was 82% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below 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
St Michael's Church of England Primary School in detail
St Michael's Church of England Primary School in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care, from £10.00 per session.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils at St Michael's Church of England Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 64% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in Kent and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 68% in reading and 45% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Michael's Church of England Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 21 families put St Michael's Church of England Primary School as their first choice and 52 named it as one of their preferences, for 26 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 St Michael's Church of England Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Michael's Church of England Primary School are Tenterden Church of England Junior School (1.4 miles, Good, 64% reading, 54% maths); Tenterden Infant School (1.4 miles, Good); High Halden Church of England Primary School (1.5 miles, Good, 75% reading, 42% maths); and John Mayne Church of England Primary School (2.8 miles, 64% reading, 27% maths).
St Michael's Church of England Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
Tenterden Church of England Junior SchoolTenterden Infant SchoolHigh Halden Church of England Primary SchoolJohn Mayne Church of England Primary School
The trust
St Michael's Church of England Primary School is one of 6 schools run by Tenterden Schools Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
39 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Michael's Church of England Primary School (as of September 2025): 87% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 50% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (95%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (50%).
Who goes there
9.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 25 pupils (14.1%) received SEN support and 0 (0%) 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 tram or metro stop is Tenterden Town Rail Station (KESR), about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Pope House Lane (adjacent), 170 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 32 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Kent (101).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Michael's Church of England Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.6 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; Ofsted Parent View; 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from December 2018, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils have a love for learning at this warm and friendly school. They demonstrate this through their hard work and enthusiastic discussion of the subjects they learn. The school has high expectations of all. This enables pupils to learn the important skills and knowledge they need.
Starting in early years, pupils learn the school's well-designed routines. This helps them to feel safe and happy. Pupils are polite and move carefully around the school. They are happy and know that staff will deal with any concerns they may have. Pupils also receive high-quality support to manage their emotions. For example, play therapy sessions help pupils to express their worries.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school's ambitious curriculum identifies the important knowledge that pupils must learn and the order in which they need to learn it. This begins in early years, where children learn the foundational knowledge they will need to access the wider curriculum. The school has prioritised phonics and writing as a result of low published outcomes in these subjects. The impact is clear in phonics, where well-trained staff teach the chosen scheme consistently well. However, the teaching of writing is not consistent. Consequently, some pupils do not always learn how to form letters or spell well enough.
The school identifies the needs of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), accurately. As a result, staff understand pupils' barriers to learning and help them to overcome these through effective adaptations and support. The school works well with other agencies to support pupils who require additional help. For example, pupils with communication needs receive regular speech and language therapy.
From Ofsted's October 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 December 2018 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
30.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
39 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)
Reading has declined from 68% to 60% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 45% to 64% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 64% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.3
Avg class size
25.0
Infant (KS1)
25.5
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Michael's Church of England Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Michael's Church of England Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Michael's Church of England 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
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 St Michael's Church of England Primary School
Will you get a place at St Michael's Church of England Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Michael's Church of England Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Michael's Church of England Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Michael's Church of England 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 St Michael's Church of England Primary School for 2017 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
82%
Available places
173 pupils
210 places
37 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Tenterden
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Tenterden
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(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
25
SEN Support
0
EHC Plans
14.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
177
Total Pupils
103
Boys
74
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
17.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£44,307
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,573
Per pupil
£1059k
Total funding
£68k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.9%
Overall absence
18.0%
Persistent absence
161
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
St Michael's Church of England Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Michael's Church of England Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Michael's Church of England Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Michael's Church of England Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 60% reached the expected standard in reading and 64% did so in maths.
What is St Michael's Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Michael's Church of England Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in December 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Michael's Church of England Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Michael's Church of England 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 St Michael's Church of England Primary School?
St Michael's Church of England Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 82% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at St Michael's Church of England Primary School?
Classes at St Michael's Church of England Primary School average 25.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Michael's Church of England Primary School?
St Michael's Church of England Primary School has around 177 pupils on roll. 31% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Michael's Church of England Primary School?
4.9% of sessions were missed at St Michael's Church of England Primary School in 2024/25. 18% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Michael's Church of England Primary School?
Apply through Kent's coordinated admissions process, naming St Michael's Church of England 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 St Michael's Church of England Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 St Michael's Church of England Primary School?
St Michael's Church of England Primary School is at Ashford Road, St Michael's, Tenterden, Kent, TN30 6PU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)