Swalecliffe Community Primary School, Whitstable
Swalecliffe Community Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Whitstable, part of The Coastal Alliance Co-operative Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in September 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 5th-highest of the 5 schools in Whitstable with published results, and 11,625th of 14,452 across England. It was 79% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- 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
Swalecliffe Community Primary School in detail
Swalecliffe Community Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "Welcome to Swalecliffe Community Primary School. An especially warm welcome to those of you who are looking here with a view to joining us or simply finding out more about our lovely school."
From the headteacher's welcome: "We are a busy but friendly school with lots going on. Please feel free to contact the school direct with any queries you may have."
Coming up: an open day on Monday 2 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 74% of Year 6 pupils at Swalecliffe Community Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 58% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in Kent and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 80% in reading and 65% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Swalecliffe Community Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 41 families put Swalecliffe Community Primary School as their first choice and 103 named it as one of their preferences, for 42 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 Swalecliffe Community Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Swalecliffe Community Primary School are St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whitstable (0.9 miles, Good, 75% reading, 81% maths); Westmeads Community Infant School (1.3 miles, Requires improvement); Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed Church of England Junior School (1.4 miles, Outstanding, 87% reading, 83% maths); and Whitstable Junior School (1.5 miles, Good, 81% reading, 77% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Swalecliffe Community Primary School.
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, WhitstableWestmeads Community Infant SchoolWhitstable and Seasalter Endowed Church of England Junior SchoolWhitstable Junior School
The trust
Swalecliffe Community Primary School is one of 3 schools run by The Coastal Alliance Co-operative Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
1.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (83%) and Mixed (5%).
In 2026, 60 pupils (12.2%) received SEN support and 10 (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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Chestfield & Swalecliffe Rail Station, about 590 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Kemp Road (adjacent), 270 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Swalecliffe Community Primary School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 48 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Kent (101).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Swalecliffe Community Primary School issued 18 suspensions, 3.6 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 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 June 2013, 13 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 June 2013 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
17.1%
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 declined from 80% to 74% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 65% to 58% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 80% to 86% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.8
Avg class size
22.6
Infant (KS1)
25.7
KS2
16
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Swalecliffe Community Primary School
From Swalecliffe Community Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Swalecliffe Community Primary School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Swalecliffe Community Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Swalecliffe Community 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
- 24
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 10
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 24 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 10 serious and 14 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
6 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 Swalecliffe Community Primary School
Will you get a place at Swalecliffe Community Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Swalecliffe Community Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Swalecliffe Community Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Swalecliffe Community 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 Swalecliffe Community Primary School 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
79%
Available places
496 pupils
630 places
134 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Whitstable
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Whitstable
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(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
60
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
14.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
492
Total Pupils
266
Boys
226
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
27
Teachers
18.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,669
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,052
Per pupil
£2788k
Total funding
£120k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.8%
Overall absence
17.4%
Persistent absence
471
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
Swalecliffe Community Primary School
Questions parents ask about Swalecliffe Community Primary School
What are SATs results like at Swalecliffe Community Primary School?
Of the pupils at Swalecliffe Community Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 74% reached the expected standard in reading and 58% did so in maths.
What is Swalecliffe Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Swalecliffe Community Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in September 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Swalecliffe Community Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Swalecliffe Community 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 Swalecliffe Community Primary School?
Swalecliffe Community Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 79% of its 630 places.
How big are the classes at Swalecliffe Community Primary School?
Classes at Swalecliffe Community Primary School average 24.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Swalecliffe Community Primary School?
Swalecliffe Community Primary School has around 492 pupils on roll. 17% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Swalecliffe Community Primary School?
5.8% of sessions were missed at Swalecliffe Community Primary School in 2024/25. 17.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Swalecliffe Community Primary School?
Apply through Kent's coordinated admissions process, naming Swalecliffe Community 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 Swalecliffe Community Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 24 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 10 serious and 14 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 6 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 Swalecliffe Community Primary School?
Swalecliffe Community Primary School is at Bridgefield Road, Swalecliffe, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 2PH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)