Smarden Primary School
Pluckley Road, Smarden, Ashford, TN27 8ND
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE KEMNAL ACADEMIES TRUST
- Executive Head Teacher
- Mrs Claudia Miller
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Kemnal Academies Trust
- Constituency
- Weald of Kent
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 172
- URN
- 137529
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01233770316
About this school
Smarden Primary School is a primary academy in Ashford. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 172 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Smarden 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 11 May 2023, 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 | 28 | 15 | 18 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 75% | 60% | 89% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 21% | 0% | 6% |
| Expected standard in reading | 79% | 87% | 89% |
| Expected standard in maths | 79% | 67% | 89% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 75% | 80% | 72% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 104.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 102.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.20 | - | - |
| 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 Smarden 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 | 75% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 60% | 60.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 89% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 3.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 174 |
| 2023/24 | 174 |
| 2024/25 | 175 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Smarden Primary School compares
Smarden Primary School ranked 14th of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 97% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 94% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 89% | 3.4% | 14.9% | 172 | — |
| Bethersden Primary School | 46% | 4.4% | 25.2% | 117 | 3.0 miles |
| Pluckley Church of England Primary School | 82% | 3.4% | 18% | 82 | 3.2 miles |
| John Mayne Church of England Primary School | 27% | 6.2% | 31% | 94 | 3.3 miles |
| Egerton Church of England Primary School | 55% | 3.7% | 20.4% | 197 | 3.3 miles |
| Headcorn Primary School | 62% | 6.5% | 26.3% | 401 | 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)
- 14.93%
- English as an additional language
- 1.1%
- Overall absence
- 3.4%
- Persistent absence
- 4.1%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Bethersden Primary School3.0 miles
Primary · Ashford
-
Pluckley Church of England Primary School3.2 miles
Primary · Ashford
-
John Mayne Church of England Primary School3.3 miles
Primary · Ashford
-
Egerton Church of England Primary School3.3 miles
Primary · Ashford
-
Headcorn Primary School3.3 miles
Primary · Headcorn
Other schools in Ashford
Smarden Primary School ranks 3rd 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 Smarden Primary School teach?
- Smarden Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Ashford.
- Who is the executive head teacher of Smarden Primary School?
- The executive head teacher of Smarden Primary School is Mrs Claudia Miller, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Smarden Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Smarden 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 Smarden Primary School?
- Smarden Primary School has 172 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Smarden Primary School full?
- Smarden Primary School has capacity for 105 pupils and 172 on roll (164%), 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 Smarden Primary School a faith school?
- No. Smarden Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Smarden Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Smarden Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Smarden Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Smarden Primary School is part of THE KEMNAL ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Smarden Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 75% in 2022/23 and 89% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Smarden Primary School compare with other schools in Kent?
- Smarden Primary School ranked 14th of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 97% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 94% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Smarden Primary School's absence rate?
- Smarden Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Smarden Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Smarden 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.