Iwade School

About Iwade School

Iwade School is a state primary in the Kent local authority, serving the Swale borough for children aged 4 to 11. In the local league table of 48 similar schools, it sits at 43rd, placing it in the bottom half of its immediate area. The top-performing peers in Kent include Stelling Minnis Church of England Primary School, Leigh Academy Dartford, and Temple Ewell Church of England Primary School, all of which score significantly higher on the same ranking metric. The school is led by headteacher Katrine Stewart and has a capacity of 630 pupils, with 611 currently on roll. It is a non-religious, mixed-gender school with no nursery or sixth-form provision. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in September 2022, confirmed that the school remains Good, a notable improvement from its previous graded inspection in 2012, when it was rated Requires Improvement. Leadership and management were also judged Good.

Academically, the school’s 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results show that 44% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined. This is well below the local authority average of 63% and places Iwade in the bottom 50 nationally for this metric. Only 2% of pupils reached the higher standard across all three subjects. In individual subjects, reading was the strongest area, with 78% reaching the expected standard and 29% achieving a higher score. Maths followed with 63% at the expected level, while writing lagged behind at 51%. Average scaled scores were 105 in reading and 102 in maths. The school’s Progress 8 scores are not available, so it is not possible to measure how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points. The data suggests that while reading outcomes are solid, overall attainment in writing and maths is an area of focus.

Iwade School offers a range of facilities including a library, playing fields, a sports hall, an outdoor playground, a sensory room, and a chapel. Sports provision covers cross country, rounders, dance, gymnastics, netball, and tennis, while clubs include art, eco, choir, and book club. The school has a broad SEND offer, supporting pupils with specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing impairment, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed: 121 applications were received for 66 places, with 58 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.83. This suggests strong local demand despite the below-average attainment. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is Queenborough School and Nursery, 4.6 km away. Iwade would suit families who value a Good-rated, inclusive primary with a strong SEND framework and a wide range of extracurricular activities, and who are comfortable with its current academic profile.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Iwade School

Helpful Guides for Parents