Salmestone Primary School
College Road, Margate, CT9 4DB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- THE KEMNAL ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Thomas Platten
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Kemnal Academies Trust
- Constituency
- East Thanet
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 216
- URN
- 138438
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01843220949
About this school
Salmestone Primary School is a primary academy in Margate. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 216 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 16 October 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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 | 27 | 29 | 29 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 67% | 62% | 66% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 0% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 70% | 76% | 69% |
| Expected standard in maths | 74% | 69% | 66% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 52% | 41% | 41% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 103.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.80 | - | - |
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 Salmestone 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 | 67% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 62% | 60.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 66% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 215 |
| 2023/24 | 220 |
| 2024/25 | 221 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Salmestone Primary School compares
Salmestone Primary School ranked 212th of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 55% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 8% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 66% | 9.9% | 51.9% | 216 | — |
| St Gregory's Catholic Primary School, Margate | 75% | 7.3% | 34.7% | 284 | 0.2 miles |
| Margate, Holy Trinity and St John's Church of England Primary School | 31% | 7.5% | 59.7% | 397 | 0.5 miles |
| Drapers Mills Primary Academy | 51% | 12.7% | 70.8% | 246 | 0.5 miles |
| Garlinge Primary School and Nursery | 56% | 6.7% | 47.2% | 726 | 0.9 miles |
| Cliftonville Primary School | 44% | 6.6% | 51.7% | 845 | 1.2 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)
- 51.92%
- English as an additional language
- 22.6%
- Overall absence
- 9.86%
- Persistent absence
- 29.69%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Gregory's Catholic Primary School, Margate0.2 miles
Primary · Margate
-
Margate, Holy Trinity and St John's Church of England Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Margate
-
Drapers Mills Primary Academy0.5 miles
Primary · Margate
-
Garlinge Primary School and Nursery0.9 miles
Primary · Margate
-
Cliftonville Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Margate
Other schools in Margate
Salmestone Primary School ranks 2nd 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
- Northdown Primary School Primary
- Palm Bay 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 Salmestone Primary School teach?
- Salmestone Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Margate.
- Who is the headteacher of Salmestone Primary School?
- The headteacher of Salmestone Primary School is Mr Thomas Platten, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Salmestone Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Salmestone 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 Salmestone Primary School?
- Salmestone Primary School has 216 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Salmestone Primary School full?
- Salmestone Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 216 on roll (103%), 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 Salmestone Primary School a faith school?
- No. Salmestone Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Is Salmestone Primary School a selective school?
- No. Salmestone Primary School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Does Salmestone Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Salmestone Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Salmestone Primary School?
- Salmestone 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 Salmestone Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 67% in 2022/23 and 66% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Salmestone Primary School rank locally?
- Salmestone Primary School ranked 212th of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 55% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 8% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Salmestone Primary School's absence rate?
- Salmestone Primary School's overall absence rate is 9.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Salmestone Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Salmestone 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.