The Canterbury Academy

About The Canterbury Academy

The Canterbury Academy’s most recent Ofsted inspection, carried out in February 2023, rated the school as Requires Improvement overall, a downgrade from its previous Good rating in 2017. The inspection report highlighted particular concerns in the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management, all of which were graded as Requires Improvement. However, the school’s sixth form provision and personal development were both rated Good, suggesting that older students and pastoral care are relative strengths. The most telling academic metric is the school’s Progress 8 score of -0.67, which places it well below average nationally. This means that, on average, pupils at the academy achieve nearly two-thirds of a grade less per subject across eight GCSEs than students with similar starting points elsewhere. In the local authority of Kent, the average Progress 8 score is -0.13, so the academy’s result is significantly weaker than the typical school in the area.

At Key Stage 4, the school’s Attainment 8 score sits at 38, and just 30.2% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths. The EBacc entry rate is low at 11.6%, and only 6% of pupils achieved the EBacc at grade 5 or above. In the Canterbury local authority ranking, the academy places 6th out of 9 schools on Progress 8, putting it in the bottom third locally. Nationally, it ranks 2,816th out of 3,141 schools. At Key Stage 5, the picture is slightly more mixed: the sixth form’s value-added score is -0.2, which is below average, and the average points per entry is 24.7, equivalent to a D+ grade. The best three A-levels average out at D+, and only 3.1% of entries achieved AAB or higher. The sixth form is graded Good by Ofsted, but the academic outcomes remain modest compared with local grammar schools like Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys, which is just 2.5 km away and rated Outstanding.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 197 places in Year 7, it received 859 applications, with 257 first-preference applications and 177 offers made to first-preference families. This gives an oversubscription ratio of 4.36 applicants per place, indicating strong local demand despite the academic results. The school is a mixed, non-faith secondary with a large roll of 1,984 pupils, well above its official capacity of 1,300. It has a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 32.8%, and offers a broad range of SEND provisions, including support for autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and social, emotional and mental health. Facilities include a swimming pool, theatre, astro turf, and tennis courts, and there are clubs such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Young Enterprise, and an orchestra. This is a school that suits families who value a large, inclusive community with strong pastoral care and a wide range of extracurricular activities, but who are comfortable with academic outcomes that are below the local average.

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