The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School
Wesley School Road, Cuckoo Lane, Ashford, TN23 5LW
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England/Methodist
- Headteacher
- Miss Rachael Harrington
- Diocese
- Diocese of Canterbury
- SEN provision
- SLCN - Speech, language and Communication
- Constituency
- Ashford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 421
- URN
- 133627
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01233614660
About this school
The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School is a voluntary aided primary school in Ashford. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 421 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 11 November 2021, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. 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 | 63 | 90 | 62 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 25% | 49% | 52% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Expected standard in reading | 67% | 78% | 76% |
| Expected standard in maths | 40% | 58% | 69% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 51% | 77% | 74% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 106.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 99.0 | 102.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -4.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -5.10 | - | - |
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 The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided 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 | 25% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 49% | 60.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 52% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 462 |
| 2023/24 | 453 |
| 2024/25 | 434 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School compares
The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 339th of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 24% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 79% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 52% | 4.2% | 20.7% | 421 | — |
| Great Chart Primary School | 77% | 3.4% | 17.3% | 424 | 0.3 miles |
| Beaver Green Primary School | 63% | 5.4% | 48.8% | 483 | 0.4 miles |
| Chilmington Green Primary School | 46% | 6.4% | 33.8% | 297 | 0.7 miles |
| Ashford Oaks Community Primary School | 34% | 8.3% | 57.3% | 443 | 0.8 miles |
| St Simon of England Roman Catholic Primary School, Ashford | 40% | 4.5% | 19.8% | 208 | 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)
- 20.74%
- English as an additional language
- 16.8%
- Overall absence
- 4.23%
- Persistent absence
- 9.28%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Great Chart Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Ashford
-
Beaver Green Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Ashford
-
Chilmington Green Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Ashford
-
Ashford Oaks Community Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Ashford
-
St Simon of England Roman Catholic Primary School, Ashford0.9 miles
Primary · Ashford
Other schools in Ashford
The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School ranks 29th 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
- 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
Common questions
- What ages does The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School teach?
- The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Ashford.
- Who is the headteacher of The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- The headteacher of The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School is Miss Rachael Harrington, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided 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 The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School has 421 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School full?
- The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 421 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 The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School is designated Church of England/Methodist, in the Diocese of Canterbury.
- Does The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- What SEN provision does The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School have?
- The schools register lists The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School's special educational needs provision as: SLCN - Speech, language and Communication. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 25% in 2022/23 and 52% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School compare with other schools in Kent?
- The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 339th of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 24% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 79% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School's absence rate?
- The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided 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 1 July 2026.