The Downs Church of England Primary School, Deal
The Downs Church of England Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Deal, part of Deal Education Alliance for Learning Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 8th-highest of the 10 schools in Deal with published results, and 12,107th of 14,452 across England. It was 75% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Kent (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Downs Church of England Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils at The Downs Church of England Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 61% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in Kent and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 62% in reading and 47% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at The Downs Church of England Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 40 families put The Downs Church of England Primary School as their first choice and 84 named it as one of their preferences, for 40 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at The Downs Church of England Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to The Downs Church of England Primary School are Deal Parochial Church of England Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 94% reading, 78% maths); St Mary's Catholic Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 79% reading, 72% maths); Warden House Primary School (0.9 miles, Outstanding, 72% reading, 56% maths); and Hornbeam Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 74% reading, 65% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than The Downs Church of England Primary School.
Deal Parochial Church of England Primary SchoolSt Mary's Catholic Primary SchoolWarden House Primary SchoolHornbeam Primary School
The trust
The Downs Church of England Primary School is one of 9 schools run by Deal Education Alliance for Learning Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 60% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
35.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 41 pupils (13%) received SEN support and 6 (1.9%) 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 autism.
The Downs Church of England Primary School provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs and autism.
Staffing
The Downs Church of England Primary School had 20 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Walmer Rail Station, about 740 metres away (roughly a 9-minute walk).
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Balfour Road (sw-bound), 270 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Downs Church of England Primary School issued 10 suspensions, 3.1 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; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its September 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
35.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Speech and language, Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 62% to 67% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 47% to 61% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 65% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
22.6
Avg class size
20.2
Infant (KS1)
24.4
KS2
14
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with The Downs Church of England Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near The Downs Church of England Primary School.
- Stay 'n' PlayAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Downs Church of England Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Downs 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
- 25
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 9
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 25 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 9 serious and 16 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
7 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 The Downs Church of England Primary School
Will you get a place at The Downs Church of England Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Downs Church of England Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Downs Church of England Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Downs 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 The Downs Church of England Primary School for 2020 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
75%
Available places
316 pupils
420 places
104 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Deal
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Deal
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
41
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
14.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
The Downs Church of England Primary School provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs and autism.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
316
Total Pupils
155
Boys
161
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
20
Teachers
15.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,716
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,404
Per pupil
£1900k
Total funding
£148k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.0%
Overall absence
18.2%
Persistent absence
291
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
The Downs Church of England Primary School
Questions parents ask about The Downs Church of England Primary School
What are SATs results like at The Downs Church of England Primary School?
Of the pupils at The Downs Church of England Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 67% reached the expected standard in reading and 61% did so in maths.
What is The Downs Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
The Downs Church of England Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2023.
What is the catchment area for The Downs Church of England Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When The Downs 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 The Downs Church of England Primary School?
The Downs Church of England Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 75% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at The Downs Church of England Primary School?
Classes at The Downs Church of England Primary School average 22.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Downs Church of England Primary School?
The Downs Church of England Primary School has around 316 pupils on roll. 36% are eligible for free school meals.
Does The Downs Church of England Primary School have specialist SEN provision?
The Downs Church of England Primary School provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs and autism.
What is attendance like at The Downs Church of England Primary School?
6% of sessions were missed at The Downs Church of England Primary School in 2024/25. 18.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Downs Church of England Primary School?
Apply through Kent's coordinated admissions process, naming The Downs 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.
Does The Downs Church of England Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Stay 'n' Play (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near The Downs Church of England Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 25 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 9 serious and 16 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 7 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 The Downs Church of England Primary School?
The Downs Church of England Primary School is at Owen Square, Walmer, Deal, Kent, CT14 7TL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)