Astor Secondary School

About Astor Secondary School

Astor Secondary School in Dover was rated Requires Improvement overall in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, a rating that has held steady since its previous graded inspection in 2020. The most telling academic metric is its Progress 8 score of -1.04, which places students’ progress well below the national average. This means that, on average, pupils at Astor achieve nearly one whole grade less per subject across eight GCSEs than students with similar starting points nationally. The school ranks 7th out of 8 secondary schools in the Dover local authority area on this measure, and sits in the bottom 50 nationally, at the 97th percentile. In the wider Kent context, where the average Progress 8 score across all state secondaries is -0.13, Astor’s figure stands out as significantly lower, indicating that academic catch-up is a major focus for the school.

At Key Stage 4, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 28.6, and just 27.6% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths (the basics 94 measure). The EBacc entry rate is very low at 7.1%, with no pupils entered for the full EBacc combination in the 2023/24 academic year. In the sixth form, where 36 pupils were in the cohort, the value added score is -0.49, described as below average, and the average points per entry is 20.37, equivalent to a D grade. The best three A-levels averaged a D grade. Ofsted’s breakdown shows that while the quality of education and behaviour and attitudes both require improvement, leadership and management, personal development, and sixth form provision are all rated Good. This suggests that the school’s leadership is seen as effective in some areas, but translating that into consistent classroom progress remains a challenge.

Astor is a mixed, non-denominational secondary school and sixth form for 11-18 year olds, with a current roll of 770 pupils against a capacity of 1230. It is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 282 applications for 135 places, with 82 first-preference offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.09. The school has a very high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 61.4%, and its SEND provisions are extensive, covering ten categories including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language communication needs, and social, emotional and mental health support. Facilities include science labs, a theatre, gymnasium, ICT suite, sixth form centre, astro turf, art studios and a chapel. Clubs range from coding and eco club to Duke of Edinburgh and Young Enterprise. For families prioritising strong academic outcomes, Astor’s data points to a school still working to improve, but its wide-ranging support and oversubscription suggest it serves a community that values its inclusive offer.

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