The John Wallis Church of England Academy
Millbank Road, Kingsnorth, Ashford, TN23 3HG
- Phase
- All-through
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- THE JOHN WALLIS CHURCH OF ENGLAND ACADEMY, ASHFORD
- Principal
- Mr Damian McBeath
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious ethos
- None
- Diocese
- Diocese of Canterbury
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Diocese of Canterbury Academies Company Limited
- Constituency
- Ashford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,790
- Pupils on roll
- 1,650
- URN
- 136197
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01233623465
About this school
The John Wallis Church of England Academy is a Church of England all-through academy in Ashford. It teaches children aged 3 to 19 and has 1,650 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
- Sixth form
- Good
- 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 | 60 | 61 | 59 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 53% | 64% | 61% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 3% | 8% |
| Expected standard in reading | 57% | 74% | 71% |
| Expected standard in maths | 68% | 74% | 73% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 57% | 67% | 63% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 101.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.10 | - | - |
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.
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 206 | 236 | 229 |
| Attainment 8 score | 35.1 | 31.8 | 30.6 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.45 -0.65 to -0.25 | -0.72 -0.91 to -0.53 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 20% | 20.3% | 21.4% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 43% | 40.3% | 36.7% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 5% | 28.8% | 17% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 2.8 | 2.7 | 2.6 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How The John Wallis Church of England Academy 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 | 53% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 64% | 60.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 61% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | Kent average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 35.1 | 37.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 31.8 | 37.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 30.6 | 37.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 12.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 12.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 10.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,763 |
| 2023/24 | 1,747 |
| 2024/25 | 1,731 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The John Wallis Church of England Academy compares
The John Wallis Church of England Academy ranked 95th of 100 secondary schools in Kent for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 22% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 7% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 30.6 | 10.2% | 41.7% | 1,650 | — |
| Beaver Green Primary School | — | 5.4% | 48.8% | 483 | 0.6 miles |
| Kings Park School | — | — | — | 5 | 0.6 miles |
| St Simon of England Roman Catholic Primary School, Ashford | — | 4.5% | 19.8% | 208 | 0.7 miles |
| Kingsnorth Church of England Primary School | — | 4.6% | 15.8% | 419 | 0.7 miles |
| The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School | — | 4.2% | 20.7% | 421 | 0.8 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 41.74%
- English as an additional language
- 22.3%
- Overall absence
- 10.17%
- Persistent absence
- 29.64%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Beaver Green Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Ashford
-
Kings Park School0.6 miles
Special schools · Ashford
-
St Simon of England Roman Catholic Primary School, Ashford0.7 miles
Primary · Ashford
-
Kingsnorth Church of England Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Ashford
- 0.8 miles
Other schools in Ashford
The John Wallis Church of England Academy ranks 24th of the 39 ranked primary schools in Ashford, and The John Wallis Church of England Academy ranks 5th of the 5 ranked secondary 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 year groups does The John Wallis Church of England Academy teach?
- The John Wallis Church of England Academy teaches children aged 3 to 19. It is an all-through school in Ashford.
- Who is the principal of The John Wallis Church of England Academy?
- The principal of The John Wallis Church of England Academy is Mr Damian McBeath, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was The John Wallis Church of England Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The John Wallis Church of England Academy, 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 The John Wallis Church of England Academy?
- The John Wallis Church of England Academy has 1,650 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 19.
- Is The John Wallis Church of England Academy full?
- The John Wallis Church of England Academy has capacity for 1,790 pupils and 1,650 on roll (92%), 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 The John Wallis Church of England Academy a faith school?
- Yes. The John Wallis Church of England Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Canterbury.
- Is The John Wallis Church of England Academy a selective school?
- No. The John Wallis Church of England Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Does The John Wallis Church of England Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records The John Wallis Church of England Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs The John Wallis Church of England Academy?
- The John Wallis Church of England Academy is part of THE JOHN WALLIS CHURCH OF ENGLAND ACADEMY, ASHFORD. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The John Wallis Church of England Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 53% in 2022/23 and 61% 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 Wallis Church of England Academy rank locally?
- The John Wallis Church of England Academy ranked 95th of 100 secondary schools in Kent for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 22% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 7% 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 Wallis Church of England Academy's absence rate?
- The John Wallis Church of England Academy's overall absence rate is 10.2% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The John Wallis Church of England Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The John Wallis Church of England Academy'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.