The Davenport School, Sandwich

Special
Other independent special school
Mixed
Ages 512

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Ms Susan Howson
Pupils:18 / 22 capacity
LA:Kent
Phone:01304621836
Address:The Lodge, Foxborough Hill, Sandwich, CT13 0NY
Admissions:Non-selective
Status:open
Opened:3 April 2001

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Inspected 8 July 2025View full report
URN:133298
UKPRN:10071864
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Dover and Deal
Urban/Rural:Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

This school excels at helping children develop confidence and self-worth in a nurturing environment. Parents report life-changing impacts on their children. Staff expertly balance high academic expectations with emotional support, helping pupils with anxiety and low confidence to thrive and make accelerated progress.

Key Strengths

  • Outstanding behaviour and attitudes - pupils respond positively to high expectations set by staff
  • Outstanding personal development - strong focus on building self-esteem, resilience and helping pupils become caring, compassionate citizens
  • Highly personalised, bespoke curriculum tailored to individual pupil interests and needs
  • Comprehensive early reading programme with positive impact on most pupils' ability to read
  • Well-designed wider curriculum including enrichment activities that help pupils see themselves as 'experts'

Areas for Improvement

  • Staff do not always recognise rapid progress quickly enough, particularly with more-able readers who need additional challenge in phonics lessons
  • Mathematics lessons lack sufficient opportunities for pupils to reason, explain their thinking and question their understanding
  • Some pupils at risk of disengaging when learning is not challenging enough

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective with appropriate attention to health and safety, staff recruitment and safeguarding culture.

Extracurricular Activities

Beach art, fossil hunting, litter picking, athletics events, Japanese water garden design, school rap composition

The Davenport School is a happy, good-rated independent special school where pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs feel safe and thrive. Staff set high expectations for behaviour and academics, resulting in impressive progress across the curriculum.

At a Glance

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Class Sizes

0.0

Avg class size

0

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Drainless Road (opp)
184m · 3 min walk
Poison Cross (NE-bound)
345m · 6 min walk
Statenborough Lane (adj)
451m · 7 min walk
Orchard Road (opp)
539m · 9 min walk
Little Walton (adj)
667m · 11 min walk
Can you get into this school?
Enter your postcode to find out

Commute Calculator

Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply

Sign up free to see your commute to this school

What are my chances?

Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

82%

Available places

18 pupils

22 capacity

4 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Sandwich

Low pressure
New homes approved:361
Projected new pupils:65

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Sandwich

Admissions Demand - Kent

Low demand0.94x oversubscription

Places available

19,410

Applications

18,281

Got 1st preference

80.6%

Got preferred school

96.5%

Secondary admissions across Kent (2025/26)

Inspection History(11)

8 July 2025
1 November 2022
12 November 2019

House Prices

Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost

Sign up free to see house prices near this school

SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

Sign up free to see special needs support at this school

Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

Sign up free to see who goes to this school

Reviews

No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.

Leave a Review

You need to be signed in to leave a review.

Linked Schools

Schools linked by geographic proximity

Nearby Schools

Do you work at this school?

Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.