St Richard's Catholic Primary School, Dover
St Richard's Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Dover, part of Kent Catholic Schools' Partnership. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 10th-highest of the 21 schools in Dover with published results, and 9,595th of 14,452 across England. It was 90% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- 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 Richard's Catholic Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils at St Richard's Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 67% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in Kent and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 50% in reading and 19% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Richard's Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 25 families put St Richard's Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 66 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 Richard's Catholic Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Richard's Catholic Primary School are Charlton Church of England Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 55% reading, 55% maths); Barton Junior School (0.4 miles, Good, 83% reading, 79% maths); Dover, St Mary's Church of England Primary School (0.5 miles, Requires improvement, 45% reading, 55% maths); and Guston Church of England Primary School (0.6 miles).
St Richard's Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Charlton Church of England Primary SchoolBarton Junior SchoolDover, St Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolGuston Church of England Primary School
The trust
St Richard's Catholic Primary School is one of 33 schools run by Kent Catholic Schools' Partnership, an academy trust.
Who goes there
29.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (62%), Asian (11%) and Mixed (6%).
In 2026, 15 pupils (7.9%) received SEN support and 2 (1%) 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 Dover Priory Rail Station, about 870 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Park Avenue (n-bound), 160 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Richard's Catholic Primary School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 4th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 413 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.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Richard's Catholic Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Richard's Catholic Primary School are Dover Grammar School for Girls (0.2 miles), St Edmund's Catholic School (0.3 miles), Duke of York's Royal Military School (1 mile) and Dover Grammar School for Boys (1 mile).
Dover Grammar School for GirlsSt Edmund's Catholic SchoolDuke of York's Royal Military SchoolDover Grammar School for Boys
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; 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 · 4 years agoThis judgement is from May 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its May 2014 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
32.5%
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 improved from 50% to 77% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 19% to 67% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 38% to 72% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.3
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
25.3
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Richard's Catholic Primary School
Before and after school care
St Richard's Catholic Primary 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 Kent
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Richard's Catholic Primary School.
- St Mary's Wraparound @ Jackinaboxeducation750m away · Not yet graded
- Guston Wraparound @ jackinaboxeducationltd980m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Richard's Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Richard's Catholic 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
- 41
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 13
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 41 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 13 serious and 28 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
10 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 Richard's Catholic Primary School
Will you get a place at St Richard's Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Richard's Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Richard's Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Richard's Catholic 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 Richard's Catholic Primary School for 2015 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
90%
Near capacity
189 pupils
210 places
21 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Dover
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Dover
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(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
15
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
8.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
191
Total Pupils
85
Boys
106
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
19.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£44,992
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,765
Per pupil
£1275k
Total funding
£102k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.6%
Overall absence
8.7%
Persistent absence
173
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
Questions parents ask about St Richard's Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Richard's Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Richard's Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 77% reached the expected standard in reading and 67% did so in maths.
What is St Richard's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Richard's Catholic Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Richard's Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Richard's Catholic 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 Richard's Catholic Primary School?
St Richard's Catholic Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 90% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at St Richard's Catholic Primary School?
Classes at St Richard's Catholic Primary School average 27.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Richard's Catholic Primary School?
St Richard's Catholic Primary School has around 191 pupils on roll. 33% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Richard's Catholic Primary School?
4.6% of sessions were missed at St Richard's Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 8.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Richard's Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Kent's coordinated admissions process, naming St Richard's Catholic 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.
Does St Richard's Catholic Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
St Richard's Catholic Primary 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. Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of St Richard's Catholic Primary School: St Mary's Wraparound @ Jackinaboxeducation (750m away, registered, not yet graded) and Guston Wraparound @ jackinaboxeducationltd (980m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near St Richard's Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 41 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 13 serious and 28 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 10 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 Richard's Catholic Primary School?
St Richard's Catholic Primary School is at Castle Avenue, Dover, Kent, CT16 1EZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)