Dover Christ Church Academy

About Dover Christ Church Academy

Dover Christ Church Academy is a mixed state secondary school in Kent that currently educates 722 pupils against a capacity of 990, meaning it is operating well below its physical limit. The proportion of students eligible for free school meals stands at 48.1%, which is significantly higher than the national average and suggests the school serves a community with considerable socioeconomic need. Despite this spare capacity, the school is actually oversubscribed for Year 7 entry in 2025/26, with 327 applications for 128 places and 107 first-preference offers made from 112 first-preference applications — an oversubscription ratio of 2.55. This demand is notable given the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022 rated it Requires Improvement overall, with Behaviour and Attitudes and Leadership and Management also judged as Requires Improvement. However, the Sixth Form provision and Personal Development were both rated Good, indicating some areas of strength within the school.

Academically, the school’s Progress 8 score of -1.13 places it well below average nationally, ranking 3062 out of 3141 schools, and bottom in the Dover local authority. This is a significant gap compared to the Kent LA average Progress 8 of -0.13. The Attainment 8 score is 27.7, and only 24% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths, dropping to 9.3% when including the EBacc measure. The EBacc average point score is 2.25, with just 3.9% of pupils entering the EBacc combination of subjects. In the South East region, the school ranks 454th out of 461 schools, placing it in the bottom 10% regionally. The previous Ofsted inspection in 2019 also rated the school Requires Improvement, so the overall rating has not changed, though the 2022 inspection did note improvements in the Sixth Form and personal development.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including an Astro Turf pitch, tennis courts, a swimming pool, art studios, music rooms, a library, and a Sixth Form centre. Sports on offer include martial arts, cricket, rowing, and rugby, while clubs range from gardening and eco club to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and orchestra. SEND provisions cover Specific Learning Difficulty (Dyslexia), Moderate Learning Difficulty, Social Emotional and Mental Health needs, and Physical Disability. For families considering this school, the data suggests it is a popular choice locally despite its academic challenges, and the oversubscription indicates strong community demand. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is St Edmund’s Catholic School, 1.7 km away, which may be an alternative for families prioritising Ofsted grades. This school would suit families who value the range of extracurricular activities and facilities, and who are comfortable with a school that is actively working on improvement areas identified by Ofsted.

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