Water Meadows Primary School
Shaftesbury Road, Hersden, Canterbury, CT3 4HS
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- THE STOUR ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Ben Martin
- Sponsor
- The Stour Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Herne Bay and Sandwich
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 188
- URN
- 138579
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01227710414
About this school
Water Meadows Primary School is a primary academy in Canterbury. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 188 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Water Meadows 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 29 January 2025, 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 | 17 | 17 | 14 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 53% | 71% | 71% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 21% |
| Expected standard in reading | 82% | 88% | 86% |
| Expected standard in maths | 65% | 82% | 71% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 65% | 88% | 86% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 108.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 101.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.50 | - | - |
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 Water Meadows 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 | 53% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 71% | 60.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 71% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 148 |
| 2023/24 | 166 |
| 2024/25 | 179 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Water Meadows Primary School compares
Water Meadows Primary School ranked 140th of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 27% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 71% | 6.8% | 42.5% | 188 | — |
| Hoath Primary School | 71% | 4.9% | 28.9% | 106 | 1.4 miles |
| Sturry Church of England Primary School | 78% | 4.6% | 28.6% | 414 | 1.5 miles |
| Chislet Church of England Primary School | 47% | 6.1% | 28.4% | 104 | 1.9 miles |
| Wickhambreaux Church of England Primary School | — | — | — | — | 2.5 miles |
| Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School | — | 5.5% | 11.2% | 318 | 2.5 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)
- 42.46%
- English as an additional language
- 15.6%
- Overall absence
- 6.83%
- Persistent absence
- 25.29%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Hoath Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Canterbury
-
Sturry Church of England Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Canterbury
-
Chislet Church of England Primary School1.9 miles
Primary · Canterbury
-
Wickhambreaux Church of England Primary School2.5 miles
Primary · Canterbury
-
Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School2.5 miles
Primary · Herne Bay
Other schools in Canterbury
Water Meadows Primary School ranks 7th of the 27 ranked primary schools in Canterbury.
- Adisham Church of England Primary School Primary
- Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School Primary
- Aylesham Primary School Primary
- Barham Church of England Primary School Primary
- Blean Primary School Primary
- Bridge and Patrixbourne Church of England Primary School Primary
- Chartham Primary School Primary
- Chilham, St Mary's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Chislet Church of England Primary School Primary
- Elham Church of England Primary School Primary
- Goodnestone Church of England Primary School Primary
- Hoath Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Water Meadows Primary School teach?
- Water Meadows Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Canterbury.
- Who is the headteacher of Water Meadows Primary School?
- The headteacher of Water Meadows Primary School is Mr Ben Martin, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Water Meadows Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Water Meadows 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 Water Meadows Primary School?
- Water Meadows Primary School has 188 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Water Meadows Primary School full?
- Water Meadows Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 188 on roll (90%), 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 Water Meadows Primary School a faith school?
- No. Water Meadows Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Is Water Meadows Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Water Meadows Primary School is part of THE STOUR ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Water Meadows Primary School'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 71% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Water Meadows Primary School compare with other schools in Kent?
- Water Meadows Primary School ranked 140th of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 27% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Water Meadows Primary School's absence rate?
- Water Meadows Primary School's overall absence rate is 6.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Water Meadows Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Water Meadows 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.