Pilgrims' Way Primary School
Pilgrims Way, Canterbury, CT1 1XU
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- VERITAS MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Emma Campbell
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Veritas Multi Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Canterbury
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 404
- URN
- 145951
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01227760084
About this school
Pilgrims' Way Primary School is a primary academy in Canterbury. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 404 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
- Outstanding
- 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 | 54 | 53 | 52 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 30% | 36% | 44% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 4% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 54% | 62% | 52% |
| Expected standard in maths | 50% | 49% | 52% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 56% | 55% | 50% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 100.0 | 101.0 | 100.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 99.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.70 | - | - |
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 Pilgrims' Way 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 | 30% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 36% | 60.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 44% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 348 |
| 2023/24 | 386 |
| 2024/25 | 412 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Pilgrims' Way Primary School compares
Pilgrims' Way Primary School ranked 384th of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 15% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 12% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 44% | 8.9% | 51.2% | 404 | — |
| St Thomas' Catholic Primary School, Canterbury | 80% | 4% | 18.1% | 210 | 0.9 miles |
| St Johns Church of England Primary School | 38% | 8.7% | 48.7% | 427 | 1.1 miles |
| St Peter's Methodist Primary School | 63% | 6.4% | 28.2% | 208 | 1.1 miles |
| Parkside Community Foundation Primary School | 23% | 16.8% | 70.1% | 161 | 1.2 miles |
| Wincheap Foundation Primary School | 66% | 6.1% | 35.7% | 429 | 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)
- 51.18%
- English as an additional language
- 47.8%
- Overall absence
- 8.87%
- Persistent absence
- 29.97%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Thomas' Catholic Primary School, Canterbury0.9 miles
Primary · Canterbury
-
St Johns Church of England Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Canterbury
-
St Peter's Methodist Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Canterbury
-
Parkside Community Foundation Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Canterbury
-
Wincheap Foundation Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Canterbury
Other schools in Canterbury
Pilgrims' Way Primary School ranks 24th 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 year groups does Pilgrims' Way Primary School teach?
- Pilgrims' Way Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Canterbury.
- Who is the headteacher of Pilgrims' Way Primary School?
- The headteacher of Pilgrims' Way Primary School is Mrs Emma Campbell, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Pilgrims' Way Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Pilgrims' Way 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 Pilgrims' Way Primary School?
- Pilgrims' Way Primary School has 404 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Pilgrims' Way Primary School full?
- Pilgrims' Way Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 404 on roll (96%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Pilgrims' Way Primary School a faith school?
- No. Pilgrims' Way Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Pilgrims' Way Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Pilgrims' Way Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Pilgrims' Way Primary School?
- Pilgrims' Way Primary School is part of VERITAS MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Pilgrims' Way Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 30% in 2022/23 and 44% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Pilgrims' Way Primary School rank locally?
- Pilgrims' Way Primary School ranked 384th of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 15% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 12% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Pilgrims' Way Primary School's absence rate?
- Pilgrims' Way Primary School's overall absence rate is 8.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Pilgrims' Way Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Pilgrims' Way 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 10 July 2026.