Northdown Primary School
Tenterden Way, Margate, CT9 3RE
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- THE KEMNAL ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Matthew Harris
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Kemnal Academies Trust
- Constituency
- East Thanet
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 427
- Pupils on roll
- 302
- URN
- 138434
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01843226077
About this school
Northdown Primary School is a primary academy in Margate. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 302 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
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
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 43 | 47 | 50 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 49% | 57% | 52% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 0% | 2% |
| Expected standard in reading | 60% | 70% | 64% |
| Expected standard in maths | 63% | 64% | 60% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 49% | 49% | 34% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 102.0 | 105.0 | 102.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 100.0 | 101.0 | 100.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -3.20 | - | - |
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 Northdown 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 | 49% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 57% | 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 | 10.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 10.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 325 |
| 2023/24 | 329 |
| 2024/25 | 338 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Northdown Primary School compares
Northdown Primary School ranked 338th 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 6% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 52% | 10.8% | 77.7% | 302 | — |
| Cliftonville Primary School | 44% | 6.6% | 51.7% | 845 | 0.3 miles |
| Drapers Mills Primary Academy | 51% | 12.7% | 70.8% | 246 | 0.6 miles |
| Palm Bay Primary School | 59% | 5.8% | 30.2% | 407 | 0.8 miles |
| Callis Grange Nursery and Infant School | — | 6% | 23.7% | 291 | 1.1 miles |
| Margate, Holy Trinity and St John's Church of England Primary School | 31% | 7.5% | 59.7% | 397 | 1.1 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)
- 77.71%
- English as an additional language
- 25.1%
- Overall absence
- 10.84%
- Persistent absence
- 39.93%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Cliftonville Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Margate
-
Drapers Mills Primary Academy0.6 miles
Primary · Margate
-
Palm Bay Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Margate
-
Callis Grange Nursery and Infant School1.1 miles
Primary · Broadstairs
-
Margate, Holy Trinity and St John's Church of England Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Margate
Other schools in Margate
Northdown Primary School ranks 5th of the 8 ranked primary schools in Margate.
- Cliftonville Primary School Primary
- Drapers Mills Primary Academy Primary
- Garlinge Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Margate, Holy Trinity and St John's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Palm Bay Primary School Primary
- Salmestone Primary School Primary
- St Gregory's Catholic Primary School, Margate Primary
- Hartsdown Academy Secondary
- Enterprise Learning Alliance Local authority maintained schools
- Liberty College Other types
- Life Skills Enterprise Special schools
- St Anthony's School Special schools
Common questions
- What year groups does Northdown Primary School teach?
- Northdown Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Margate.
- Who is the headteacher of Northdown Primary School?
- The headteacher of Northdown Primary School is Mr Matthew Harris, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Northdown Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Northdown 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 Northdown Primary School?
- Northdown Primary School has 302 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Northdown Primary School full?
- Northdown Primary School has capacity for 427 pupils and 302 on roll (71%), 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 Northdown Primary School a faith school?
- No. Northdown Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Northdown Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Northdown Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Northdown Primary School?
- Northdown 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 Northdown Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 49% 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 Northdown Primary School rank locally?
- Northdown Primary School ranked 338th 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 6% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Northdown Primary School's absence rate?
- Northdown Primary School's overall absence rate is 10.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Northdown Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Northdown 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.