Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School

About Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School

Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School is a state primary in Dover, within the Kent local authority, and sits among a competitive field of Church of England primaries in the area. The top-performing peers in the same LA include Stelling Minnis Church of England Primary School, Leigh Academy Dartford, and Temple Ewell Church of England Primary School, all of which rank higher on the school finder’s scoring metric. Ash Cartwright itself ranks 17th out of 37 primary schools in Dover, placing it in the top half of its immediate borough, and 206th out of 459 same-type schools across Kent. Nationally, it sits in the 46th percentile among primaries. The school has a Church of England religious character and is led by headteacher Fiona Crascall. With 175 pupils on roll against a capacity of 210, it is slightly undersubscribed in terms of capacity, but for the 2025/26 intake it received 35 applications for 25 places, with 23 of those coming as first preferences, making it officially oversubscribed.

Academically, the school’s most recent graded Ofsted inspection in 2019 rated it Good across all areas, including quality of education, behaviour, personal development, and leadership. An ungraded inspection in March 2025 found that the school had improved significantly since then. At Key Stage 2 in 2023/24, 64% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined, which is just above the Kent local authority average of 63%. Reading and writing both saw 73% of pupils at the expected level, while maths was slightly lower at 68%. Higher-standard attainment was modest: 5% achieved the higher benchmark across all three subjects, with 23% reaching higher in reading and 14% in writing. The school’s average reading score was 104 and maths 101. Progress scores are not available in the data, but the school’s ranking score of 64 on the expected standard metric places it in the top 50% of primaries nationally.

Parents are overwhelmingly positive. In the Parent View survey covering September 2024 to September 2025, 91% of the 44 respondents would recommend the school, and 96% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy. Strong agreement was particularly high for safety (77%), awareness of what their child will learn (75%), and support for SEND children (71%). The school lists provisions for dyslexia, speech and language needs, autistic spectrum disorder, social and emotional mental health, and physical disability. Facilities include a music room, ICT suite, library, sensory room, chapel, and outdoor playground. Sports on offer are athletics, dance, swimming, and netball, while clubs range from film and art to coding, science, and eco club. With a nursery provision for ages 3 and up, this is a solid, well-regarded Church of England primary that suits families seeking a faith-based setting with strong pastoral care and a clear improvement trajectory.

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