Capel-le-Ferne Primary School

About Capel-le-Ferne Primary School

Capel-le-Ferne Primary School is a state-funded mixed primary in Dover, within the Kent local authority. Among the 459 primary schools in Kent, it ranks 371st, placing it in the bottom half of the county. The top-performing peers in the same local area include Stelling Minnis Church of England Primary School, Leigh Academy Dartford, and Temple Ewell Church of England Primary School, all of which score higher on the same ranking metric. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is Hawkinge Primary School, 3.5 kilometres away. Capel-le-Ferne itself holds a Good rating from its most recent inspection in 2022, a grade it has maintained since at least its previous inspection in 2012. The school serves 179 pupils against a capacity of 210, and 20.1 per cent of children are eligible for free school meals.

In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 45 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. This is notably below the Kent local authority average of 63 per cent. Individual subject results show 59 per cent met the expected standard in reading and 59 per cent in writing, while 73 per cent did so in maths. At the higher standard, 14 per cent achieved in reading, 9 per cent in maths, and 5 per cent in both writing and the combined measure. Average scaled scores were 102 for reading and 101 for maths. The school’s Ofsted report from March 2022 rated all inspected areas as Good, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. Progress scores for reading, writing and maths were not published in the data, so it is not possible to compare pupil progress against national benchmarks.

The school offers a range of facilities including a library, music rooms, art studios, a gymnasium, an outdoor playground, a dining hall and a chapel. Sports provision covers rounders, football, cross country, cricket, netball, dance and athletics, while extracurricular clubs include chess, film club, choir, drama, science club and gardening. The school has identified six categories of special educational needs and disabilities it supports, including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. For the 2025/26 reception intake, the school was oversubscribed: 41 applications were received for 23 places, with 19 first-preference offers made. This suggests strong local demand, and families considering Capel-le-Ferne should be aware that securing a place may not be guaranteed.

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