Bethersden Primary School
Catchment Area, Reviews and Key Information

Primary
PUPILS
131
AGES
4 - 11
GENDER
Mixed
TYPE
Community school
SCHOOL GUIDE RATING
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Can I Get My Child Into This School?

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This pupil heat map shows where pupils currently attending the school live.
The concentration of pupils shows likelihood of admission based on distance criteria

Source: All attending pupils National School Census Data, ONS
03000 41 21 21

This School Guide heat map has been plotted using official pupil data taken from the last School Census collected by the Department for Education. It is a visualisation of where pupils lived at the time of the annual School Census.

Our heat maps use groups of postcodes, not individual postcodes, and have naturally soft edges. All pupils are included in the mapping (i.e. children with siblings already at the school, high priority pupils and selective and/or religious admissions) but we may have removed statistical ‘outliers’ with more remote postcodes that do not reflect majority admissions.

For some schools, the heat map may be a useful indicator of the catchment area but our heat maps are not the same as catchment area maps. Catchment area maps, published by the school or local authority, are based on geographical admissions criteria and show actual cut-off distances and pre-defined catchment areas for a single admission year.

This information is provided as a guide only. The criteria in which schools use to allocate places in the event that they are oversubscribed can and do vary between schools and over time. These criteria can include distance from the school and sometimes specific catchment areas but can also include, amongst others, priority for siblings, children of a particular faith or specific feeder schools. Living in an area where children have previously attended a school does not guarantee admission to the school in future years. Always check with the school’s own admission authority for the current admission arrangements.

3 steps to help parents gather catchment information for a school:

  1. Look at our school catchment area guide for more information on heat maps. They give a useful indicator of the general areas that admit pupils to the school. This visualisation is based on all attending pupils present at the time of the annual School Census.
  2. Use the link to the Local Authority Contact (above) to find catchment area information based on a single admission year. This is very important if you are considering applying to a school.
  3. On each school page, use the link to visit the school website and find information on individual school admissions criteria. Geographical criteria are only applied after pupils have been admitted on higher priority criteria such as Looked After Children, SEN, siblings, etc.

How Does The School Perform?

Good
NATIONAL AVG. 2.09
Ofsted Inspection
(07/06/2023)
Full Report - All Reports
43%
NATIONAL AVG. 60%
% pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics



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Progress Compared With All Other Schools

UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 8% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 11% of schools in England) Average (About 59% of schools in England) Above Average (About 11% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England)
School Road
Bethersden
Ashford
TN26 3AH
01233820479

School Description

You have maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Together with governors, you have worked hard to bring stability to the school after a period of considerable change in both staffing and leadership. Within a short period, you accurately identified the areas across the school that needed to improve and implemented a number of successful strategies to address these. Consequently, the quality of teaching and learning across the school is good and improving, along with pupils’ outcomes. Pupils enjoy school and are enthusiastic about their learning. Plentiful opportunities for pupils to study different cultures and historical contexts are available across the curriculum and these help to prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils appreciate these opportunities and speak with confidence when discussing some of the key similarities and differences between various historical periods. Pupils are rightly proud of their comparison work on the Anglo Saxons and Ancient Mayans, which illustrates their good understanding of the topics. You work effectively with a knowledgeable and committed governing body. Although the recruitment for a substantive headteacher took longer than governors had initially hoped, they were determined to make sure that any appointment to the role was in the best interests of the pupils and the local community. Governors work hard to ensure that leaders receive helpful support and robust challenge in all aspects of the school’s performance. For example, governors have challenged leaders on the impact and use of additional funding. Consequently, governors have an accurate understanding of the use of additional funding and the impact that this is having on pupils’ outcomes. The majority of parents and carers are very happy with the school, praising your hard work, openness and commitment to their children. Parents value the small, friendly and caring ethos of the school. They describe it as a welcoming and positive environment where every child is encouraged to ‘be the best that they can be’. Staff are incredibly proud to be a part of the school and have confidence in your leadership. They feel well supported by leaders and that their professional development is valued. Staff are proactive in strengthening links between the school and the surrounding community. Pupils have a number of opportunities to work with the local church and other community organisations. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ well-being and social development, as well as increasing the impact that the school is having on the wider community. At the time of the school’s previous inspection, inspectors asked leaders to improve the quality of teaching across the school by making sure that pupils receive challenge in their learning. Inspectors also required leaders to embed the school’s approach to learning in reading and writing across the wider curriculum. Pupils now receive regular challenge through the effective use of the school’s ‘red hot challenge’ initiative. As a result, pupils are making increasingly good progress, particularly in English and mathematics. Leaders have also worked hard to ensure that the standard of work seen in reading and writing is evident across the curriculum. You have rightly recognised the need to develop further the use of assessment in teachers’ planning so that all pupils consistently make at least good progress from their starting points. Safeguarding is effective. Leaders and governors ensure that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Records of the assurances taken to check on the suitability of staff are efficient and managed well. Staff receive training on how to keep pupils safe from abuse and the sways of radicalisation and extremism. You, your deputy designated safeguarding lead and the family liaison officer work closely together with families and external agencies to support the most vulnerable pupils. Because of this, pupils feel safe and are safe. Inspection findings During this inspection, we agreed to look at: the effectiveness of safeguarding; the impact of leaders’ strategies to improve pupils’ attendance; how leaders are ensuring that the quality of teaching and learning in phonics and mathematics is leading to improved outcomes for pupils; and how effectively leaders and governors communicate with parents. Attendance is a high priority for leaders and governors. The robust tracking of pupils’ absence ensures that pupils are safe when they are not in school. Newly introduced strategies to improve attendance are having a positive impact and there are marked improvements in the attendance of pupils who have had previously high levels of absence. However, despite this improvement, attendance is still below the national average for primary schools. You have taken a series of initiatives to improve the quality of teaching in phonics. For example, you have made changes to the structure of daily phonics sessions and increased training for staff. As a result, pupils’ outcomes in phonics are improving rapidly. Teachers’ timely and effective interventions to support those pupils who did not reach the required standard in phonics at the end of Year 1 are supporting pupils to catch up in Year 2. Pupils use a variety of mathematical vocabulary accurately in their work and most pupils make good progress in their problem-solving skills. This is because of the plentiful opportunities that pupils have to apply mathematics across the curriculum. Most pupils use manipulatives in mathematics effectively and these help them to consolidate the basic concepts that underlie the topics they are learning. Leaders identify that the quality of teaching and learning in mathematics needs to improve. A well-thought-through training plan is in place to develop teachers’ subject knowledge. However, teachers’ planning in mathematics does not consistently meet the needs of individual pupils. Consequently, not all pupils make the progress of which they are capable in the subject. Communication between home and school is a strength. Parents spoken to and those that responded to Ofsted’s online survey feel that the school manages any concerns that they have well. Parents value the opportunity to meet with the chair of governors in the mornings and are confident to voice their concerns to her, should they have any. Helpfully, the school provides information for parents to use when supporting their child with phonics at home. Parents appreciate this. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: recent improvements to the quality of teaching in mathematics continue so that all pupils make the progress of which they are capable attendance continues to improve so that it is at least in line with the national average.

Bethersden Primary School Parent Reviews



unlock % Parents Recommend This School
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>72, "agree"=>19, "disagree"=>6, "strongly_disagree"=>3, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 32 responses up to 08-06-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>69, "agree"=>22, "disagree"=>6, "strongly_disagree"=>3, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 32 responses up to 08-06-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>41, "agree"=>44, "disagree"=>6, "strongly_disagree"=>6, "dont_know"=>3} UNLOCK Figures based on 32 responses up to 08-06-2023
My Child Has Not Been Bullied Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"my_child_has_not_been_bullied"=>59, "strongly_agree"=>9, "agree"=>13, "disagree"=>9, "strongly_disagree"=>3, "dont_know"=>6} UNLOCK Figures based on 32 responses up to 08-06-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>41, "agree"=>47, "disagree"=>3, "strongly_disagree"=>6, "dont_know"=>3} UNLOCK Figures based on 32 responses up to 08-06-2023
I Have Not Raised Any Concerns Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"i_have_not_raised_any_concerns"=>31, "strongly_agree"=>38, "agree"=>19, "disagree"=>13, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 32 responses up to 08-06-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>25, "agree"=>50, "disagree"=>0, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>25} UNLOCK Figures based on 10 responses up to 08-06-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>53, "agree"=>28, "disagree"=>6, "strongly_disagree"=>3, "dont_know"=>9} UNLOCK Figures based on 32 responses up to 08-06-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>56, "agree"=>41, "disagree"=>3, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 32 responses up to 08-06-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>50, "agree"=>44, "disagree"=>6, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 32 responses up to 08-06-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>41, "agree"=>50, "disagree"=>6, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>3} UNLOCK Figures based on 32 responses up to 08-06-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>56, "agree"=>38, "disagree"=>3, "strongly_disagree"=>3, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 32 responses up to 08-06-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>44, "agree"=>41, "disagree"=>6, "strongly_disagree"=>3, "dont_know"=>6} UNLOCK Figures based on 32 responses up to 08-06-2023
Yes No {"yes"=>91, "no"=>9} UNLOCK Figures based on 32 responses up to 08-06-2023

Responses taken from Ofsted Parent View

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