Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School
Western Avenue, Ashford, TN23 1ND
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Nicola Hirst
- Diocese
- Diocese of Canterbury
- Constituency
- Ashford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 418
- URN
- 118738
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01233625531
About this school
Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Ashford. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 418 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 24 April 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 60 | 59 | 57 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 65% | 58% | 56% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Expected standard in reading | 72% | 75% | 82% |
| Expected standard in maths | 78% | 71% | 72% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 72% | 59% | 65% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 106.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.20 | - | - |
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 Ashford, St Mary's Church of England 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 | 65% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 58% | 60.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 56% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 420 |
| 2023/24 | 418 |
| 2024/25 | 417 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School compares
Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School ranked 310th of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 31% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 61% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 56% | 5% | 28.1% | 418 | — |
| St Teresa's Catholic Primary School | 63% | 3.7% | 14.3% | 214 | 0.3 miles |
| Victoria Road Primary School | 50% | 4.2% | 24.8% | 210 | 0.5 miles |
| Repton Manor Primary School | 67% | 5.5% | 19.2% | 420 | 0.7 miles |
| Ashford Oaks Community Primary School | 34% | 8.3% | 57.3% | 443 | 0.8 miles |
| Godinton Primary School | 63% | 4.2% | 15.9% | 417 | 0.9 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)
- 28.06%
- English as an additional language
- 29%
- Overall absence
- 4.98%
- Persistent absence
- 13.55%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Teresa's Catholic Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Ashford
-
Victoria Road Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Ashford
-
Repton Manor Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Ashford
-
Ashford Oaks Community Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Ashford
-
Godinton Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Ashford
Other schools in Ashford
Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School ranks 26th of the 39 ranked primary schools in Ashford.
- Aldington Primary School Primary
- Ashford Oaks Community Primary School Primary
- Beaver Green Primary School Primary
- Bethersden 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 year groups does Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School teach?
- Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Ashford.
- Who is the headteacher of Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School is Mrs Nicola Hirst, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Ashford, St Mary's Church of England 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 big is Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School?
- Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School has 418 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School full?
- Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 418 on roll (100%), so it is at or above 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 Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Canterbury.
- Does Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 65% in 2022/23 and 56% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School rank locally?
- Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School ranked 310th of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 31% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 61% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Ashford, St Mary's Church of England 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.