The Downs Church of England Primary School
Owen Square, Walmer, Deal, CT14 7TL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- DEAL EDUCATION ALLIANCE FOR LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Ms Natalie Luxford
- Diocese
- Diocese of Canterbury
- Constituency
- Dover and Deal
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 316
- URN
- 147058
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01304372486
About this school
The Downs Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Deal. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 316 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 | 54 | 58 | 46 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 44% | 38% | 48% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 61% | 62% | 67% |
| Expected standard in maths | 56% | 47% | 61% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 50% | 59% | 57% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 102.0 | 102.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 100.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.00 | - | - |
| 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 The Downs Church of England 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 | 44% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 38% | 60.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 48% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 317 |
| 2023/24 | 314 |
| 2024/25 | 318 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Downs Church of England Primary School compares
The Downs Church of England Primary School ranked 359th of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 19% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 38% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 48% | 6% | 38.4% | 316 | — |
| Deal Parochial Church of England Primary School | 69% | 7.2% | 41.2% | 207 | 0.4 miles |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School | 69% | 4.6% | 29.8% | 182 | 0.7 miles |
| Warden House Primary School | 42% | 6.4% | 42.6% | 380 | 0.9 miles |
| Hornbeam Primary School | 58% | 5.8% | 38.1% | 207 | 1.1 miles |
| Sholden Church of England Primary School | 73% | 6% | 27.9% | 91 | 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)
- 38.36%
- English as an additional language
- 11.3%
- Overall absence
- 6.01%
- Persistent absence
- 18.21%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Deal Parochial Church of England Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Deal
-
St Mary's Catholic Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Deal
-
Warden House Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Deal
-
Hornbeam Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Deal
-
Sholden Church of England Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Deal
Other schools in Deal
The Downs Church of England Primary School ranks 8th of the 10 ranked primary schools in Deal.
- Deal Parochial Church of England Primary School Primary
- Hornbeam Primary School Primary
- Kingsdown and Ringwould Church of England Primary School Primary
- Northbourne Church of England Primary School Primary
- Sandown School Primary
- Sholden Church of England Primary School Primary
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School Primary
- Warden House Primary School Primary
- Worth Primary School Primary
- Goodwin Academy Secondary
- Brewood Secondary School Special schools
- Learning Opportunities Centre Secondary Special schools
Common questions
- What year groups does The Downs Church of England Primary School teach?
- The Downs Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Deal.
- Who is the headteacher of The Downs Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of The Downs Church of England Primary School is Ms Natalie Luxford, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was The Downs Church of England Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Downs Church of England 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 The Downs Church of England Primary School?
- The Downs Church of England Primary School has 316 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is The Downs Church of England Primary School full?
- The Downs Church of England Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 316 on roll (75%), 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 The Downs Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. The Downs Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Canterbury.
- Does The Downs Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records The Downs Church of England Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs The Downs Church of England Primary School?
- The Downs Church of England Primary School is part of DEAL EDUCATION ALLIANCE FOR LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Downs Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 44% in 2022/23 and 48% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Downs Church of England Primary School rank locally?
- The Downs Church of England Primary School ranked 359th of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 19% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 38% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Downs Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- The Downs Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Downs Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Downs Church of England 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.