OFSTED
13 January 2026
Latest inspection
Latest published outcome
Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding
Met
Inclusion
Expected standard
Curriculum & teaching
Expected standard
Achievement
Needs attention
Attendance & behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development
Strong standard
Leadership & governance
Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
11 May 2022
Graded inspection
Inadequate
Published
25 August 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy converter
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Kent
Trust
THE HOWARD ACADEMY TRUST
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
1,061
1,061 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
517
48.7% of pupils
Male pupils
544
51.3% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
13.4 pts
above England
School
38.2%
Swale
29.5%
South East
19.0%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
10.9 pts
below England
School
9.4%
Swale
8.3%
South East
15.6%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
3.1 pts
above England
School
4.1%
Swale
1.8%
South East
1.7%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
81.1%
860
Any other White background
6.2%
66
African
5.5%
58
Any other Mixed background
1.1%
12
Gypsy / Roma
1.1%
12
White and Asian
1.0%
11
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
22.2%
236 of
1,061 pupils
1.4 pts
above England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
0.6 pts
above
England
6.0%
0.8 pts
above
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
35.5
3.7 pts
below England
Latest published: -0.56 · 2023/24
Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
13.11%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
6.89 pts
higher than
England
School
13.11%
Swale
7.16%
South East
6.30%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
38.02%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
22.20 pts
higher than
England
School
38.02%
Swale
19.36%
South East
15.75%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
11.98%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
10.18 pts
higher than
England
School
11.98%
Swale
2.33%
South East
1.93%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open secondary schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
86.5%
5.8 pts
below England
The Abbey School
86.5%
Swale
96.8%
South East
95.0%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.