Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School
School Road, Ash, Canterbury, CT3 2JD
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Interim Headteacher
- Mrs Fiona Crascall
- Diocese
- Diocese of Canterbury
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Herne Bay and Sandwich
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 183
- URN
- 118745
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01304812539
About this school
Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Canterbury. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 183 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person 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
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
A short monitoring inspection followed on : inspectors found the school has improved significantly.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 25 | 22 | 13 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 48% | 64% | 54% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 5% | 15% |
| Expected standard in reading | 72% | 73% | 69% |
| Expected standard in maths | 60% | 68% | 69% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 56% | 68% | 62% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 104.0 | 102.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 101.0 | 101.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.70 | - | - |
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 Ash Cartwright and Kelsey 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 | 48% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 64% | 60.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 54% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 158 |
| 2023/24 | 169 |
| 2024/25 | 175 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School compares
Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School ranked 320th of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 28% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 28% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 54% | 6.7% | 29.8% | 183 | — |
| Preston Primary School | 63% | 4.4% | 12.3% | 129 | 2.5 miles |
| Eastry Church of England Primary School | 64% | 6% | 38.8% | 150 | 2.7 miles |
| Sandwich Infant School | — | 4.5% | 20.7% | 99 | 2.7 miles |
| Sandwich Junior School | 73% | 4.8% | 26.5% | 222 | 2.8 miles |
| Wingham Primary School | 77% | 4.5% | 18.8% | 204 | 2.8 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.
Inspection history
-
Ungraded inspection report26 March 2025
- 24 September 2019
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 29.8%
- English as an additional language
- 3.4%
- Overall absence
- 6.71%
- Persistent absence
- 17.69%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Preston Primary School2.5 miles
Primary · Canterbury
-
Eastry Church of England Primary School2.7 miles
Primary · Sandwich
-
Sandwich Infant School2.7 miles
Primary · Sandwich
-
Sandwich Junior School2.8 miles
Primary · Sandwich
-
Wingham Primary School2.8 miles
Primary · Canterbury
Other schools in Canterbury
Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School ranks 18th of the 27 ranked primary schools in Canterbury.
- Adisham Church of England Primary School Primary
- Aylesham Primary School Primary
- Barham Church of England Primary School Primary
- Blean Primary School Primary
- Bridge and Patrixbourne Church of England Primary School Primary
- Chartham Primary School Primary
- Chilham, St Mary's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Chislet Church of England Primary School Primary
- Elham Church of England Primary School Primary
- Goodnestone Church of England Primary School Primary
- Hoath Primary School Primary
- Littlebourne Church of England Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School teach?
- Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Canterbury.
- Who is the interim headteacher of Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School?
- The interim headteacher of Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School is Mrs Fiona Crascall, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Ash Cartwright and Kelsey 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 Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School?
- Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School has 183 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School full?
- Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 183 on roll (87%), 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 Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Canterbury.
- Does Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Ash Cartwright and Kelsey 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 48% in 2022/23 and 54% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School rank locally?
- Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School ranked 320th of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 28% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 28% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 6.7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Ash Cartwright and Kelsey 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.