The John Wallis Church of England Academy

About The John Wallis Church of England Academy

The John Wallis Church of England Academy in Ashford was rated Good across every category in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2024, a rating it has now held consistently since at least its previous graded inspection in 2014. However, the school’s academic outcomes tell a more complicated story. Its Progress 8 score for the 2023/24 academic year stands at -0.72, which means pupils at this school achieve, on average, nearly three-quarters of a grade less per subject than pupils with similar starting points nationally. This places the school in the ‘Well below average’ banding for progress. The Attainment 8 score is 31.8, and only 40.3% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and maths, with that figure dropping to 20.3% for a grade 5 or above. The school’s EBacc average point score is 2.73, and just 5.9% of pupils entered the EBacc combination of subjects.

At A-level, the picture is similarly challenging. The school’s value-added score is -0.5, which is classed as ‘Below average’, and the average points per entry is 20, equivalent to a D grade. The average grade across the best three A-levels is D+. Nationally, the school ranks 2,868th out of 3,141 schools on Progress 8, placing it in the bottom 50% of schools in the country. Within Kent, it ranks 76th out of 106 similar schools, and last among the six secondary schools in Ashford. For context, the local authority average Progress 8 score is -0.13, meaning John Wallis sits well below the typical Kent school. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is Highworth Grammar School, just three kilometres away.

The school is significantly oversubscribed: for 204 places in the 2025/26 academic year, it received 427 applications, with 139 first-preference offers made. This suggests strong local demand despite the academic data. The school has a large capacity of 1,790 and currently houses 1,731 pupils, with a high proportion (38.6%) eligible for free school meals. Facilities are extensive and include a theatre, chapel, astro turf, tennis courts, and a sixth form centre. The school offers a wide range of clubs and sports, from rowing and martial arts to Model UN and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. SEND provisions cover dyslexia, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health, and physical disabilities. This is a Church of England all-through school (ages 3-19) with its own nursery and sixth form, making it a potential one-stop option for families who value a broad, faith-based environment and are comfortable with a school whose academic outcomes are below the local average.

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