Bethersden Primary School
School Road, Bethersden, Ashford, TN26 3AH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Ms Rebecca Heaton
- Constituency
- Weald of Kent
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 140
- Pupils on roll
- 117
- URN
- 118372
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01233820479
About this school
Bethersden Primary School is a community primary school in Ashford. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 117 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Bethersden Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 23 | 16 | 13 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 43% | 53% | 46% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 9% | 0% | 15% |
| Expected standard in reading | 70% | 80% | 77% |
| Expected standard in maths | 52% | 73% | 54% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 74% | 75% | 54% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 105.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 100.0 | 103.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -3.80 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Bethersden Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Kent average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 43% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 53% | 60.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 46% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 131 |
| 2023/24 | 123 |
| 2024/25 | 115 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bethersden Primary School compares
Bethersden Primary School ranked 368th of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 17% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 46% | 4.4% | 25.2% | 117 | — |
| High Halden Church of England Primary School | 42% | 6.1% | 16.7% | 105 | 2.4 miles |
| Smarden Primary School | 89% | 3.4% | 14.9% | 172 | 3.0 miles |
| Chilmington Green Primary School | 46% | 6.4% | 33.8% | 297 | 3.2 miles |
| Pluckley Church of England Primary School | 82% | 3.4% | 18% | 82 | 3.3 miles |
| Woodchurch Church of England Primary School | 74% | 6% | 21.7% | 165 | 3.3 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 25.22%
- English as an additional language
- 3.5%
- Overall absence
- 4.4%
- Persistent absence
- 10.09%
Location
Nearby schools
-
High Halden Church of England Primary School2.4 miles
Primary · Ashford
-
Smarden Primary School3.0 miles
Primary · Ashford
-
Chilmington Green Primary School3.2 miles
Primary · Ashford
-
Pluckley Church of England Primary School3.3 miles
Primary · Ashford
-
Woodchurch Church of England Primary School3.3 miles
Primary · Ashford
Other schools in Ashford
Bethersden Primary School ranks 32nd of the 39 ranked primary schools in Ashford.
- Aldington Primary School Primary
- Ashford Oaks Community Primary School Primary
- Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Beaver Green Primary School Primary
- Bodsham Church of England Primary School Primary
- Brabourne Church of England Primary School Primary
- Brook Community Primary School Primary
- Challock Primary School Primary
- Charing Church of England Primary School Primary
- Chilmington Green Primary School Primary
- Downs View Infant School Primary
- East Stour Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Bethersden Primary School teach?
- Bethersden Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Ashford.
- Who is the headteacher of Bethersden Primary School?
- The headteacher of Bethersden Primary School is Ms Rebecca Heaton, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Bethersden Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bethersden Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Bethersden Primary School?
- Bethersden Primary School has 117 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Bethersden Primary School full?
- Bethersden Primary School has capacity for 140 pupils and 117 on roll (84%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Bethersden Primary School a faith school?
- No. Bethersden Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Bethersden Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Bethersden Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Bethersden Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 43% in 2022/23 and 46% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bethersden Primary School compare with other schools in Kent?
- Bethersden Primary School ranked 368th of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 17% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Bethersden Primary School's absence rate?
- Bethersden Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bethersden Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bethersden Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 30 June 2026.