Westlands School
109%
Capacity
1,746
Pupils
3.4x
Demand
About Westlands School
Westlands School’s headline Progress 8 score of -0.38 sits well below the Kent local authority average of -0.13 for secondary schools, placing it in the bottom half of schools nationally. This is a significant gap, and it’s worth noting that the school’s Attainment 8 score of 40.1 is also modest. However, context matters: Westlands is a large, non-selective state school in Swale, serving a community where 28.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals — well above the national average. The school is heavily oversubscribed, with 943 applications for 276 places in 2025/26, and 250 of those 300 first-preference families received an offer. That level of demand suggests that local parents see value here that raw headline metrics don’t fully capture.
Academically, the picture is mixed. At GCSE, just 30.2% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths, and only 5.1% entered the EBacc — a very low take-up. The Progress 8 banding is officially ‘Below average’, with English (-0.49) and EBacc subjects (-0.46) dragging the score down more than maths (-0.29). At A-level, the picture is similarly subdued: the school’s value-added score is -0.28, also classed as ‘Below average’, and the average points per entry is 23.47, equivalent to a D+. Only 14.3% of entries achieved AAB or higher. That said, the sixth form is rated Good by Ofsted, and with 55 pupils in the data, it’s a relatively small cohort — so individual results can swing the averages.
Where Westlands shines is in breadth of opportunity. Facilities include a swimming pool, theatre, astro turf, tennis courts, and a dedicated sixth form centre. Sports run from rowing and rugby to dance and cross country, while clubs cover everything from Model UN to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The school also has a resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs, alongside support for social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language, and physical disabilities. For families in Swale who want a large, mixed comprehensive with strong extracurricular provision and a sixth form, Westlands is clearly a popular choice — even if its exam results don’t match the top-performing Kent grammars.
Key Details
| School Type | Secondary (State) |
| Age Range | 11 to 18 years |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Religious Character | None |
| Address | Westlands Avenue, Sittingbourne, Swale, ME10 1PF |
| Headteacher | Christina Honess |
| Local Authority | Kent |
| Number of Pupils | 1,746 |
| Free School Meals (FSM) | 28.2% |
| School Capacity | 1,746 / 1,604 (109% full) |
| Sixth Form | Yes |
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
15 May 2024Overall Effectiveness
Good
Latest inspection (15 May 2024): School remains Good
Additional Provisions
Source: Ofsted, 20 Mar 2019. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
League Table Position
Based on Progress 8 (-0.38)
2399th of 3,141
Nationally
347th of 461
In South East
4th of 7
In Swale
Source: Classpot analysis of DfE Progress 8 data
GCSE Results
2023/24Progress 8 Score
Students make less progress than similar students nationally
Attainment 8 (vs national avg)
Students achieve significantly higher grades than the national average
Source: Department for Education, 2023/24. Progress 8 compares to students with similar Key Stage 2 results.
A-Level Results
2023/24Average Points per Entry
Value Added Score
Best 3 A-Levels (Average)
'21/22
31.5
'22/23
25.7
'23/24
23.5
Source: Department for Education 16-18 Performance Tables, 2023/24. Value Added measures progress compared to students with similar GCSE results.
Where GCSE leavers go
2022/2343%
of GCSE leavers stay on for sixth form at this school (cohort: 300 pupils).
- School sixth form (stay)43%
- FE college39%
- Apprenticeship6%
- Employment5%
- Not sustained5%
94% of leavers had a sustained destination 6 months on.
Source: DfE Compare School & College Performance, KS4 pupil destinations 2022/23 (revised). Only state-funded schools are required to report.
Where school leavers go
2022/2340%
of A-level / Level 3 leavers go to higher education (cohort: 84 pupils).
Top-tier university progression
2%
Russell Group
2%
Top-third HE
Percentages of the whole cohort (not just HE-goers). Russell Group = 24 elite research universities. Top-third HE = top by mean UCAS tariff.
- University (HE)40%
- Employment32%
- Apprenticeship10%
- Not sustained8%
- Further education4%
- Other education1%
Sources: DfE 16-18 destination measures (broad bucket); DfE KS5 student destinations file (Russell Group / top-third HE / Oxbridge). Level 3 cohort. “Sustained” means the pupil was in education, apprenticeship or employment for 6 months in the year following completion.
Sixth form A-level subjects
2022/23- Media/Film/Tv Studies14
- Psychology13
- Sociology13
- Mathematics9
- English Literature8
- English Language7
- Geography7
- Art and Design (Fine Art)3
- Design and Technology (Product Design)3
- Film Studies3
Subjects with at least 3 entries in 2022/23. Number shown next to each subject is the number of pupils who sat that A-level exam — a rough indicator of subject popularity at this school. Source: DfE Compare School & College Performance.
SEND Support
Resourced ProvisionSource: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
Facilities
8Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
18Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
Admissions
2025/26Oversubscribed276
943
High Demand
Competitive - many more applications than places available
300 families put this school as their 1st choice (32% of all applications)
Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.
Class profile
2024/25Better than 75% of schools in England.
Better than 75% of schools in England.
Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Pupils & demographics
2024/25Above the national average (25%) — higher-disadvantage intake.
Lower than the national median (10%) — mostly English as first language.
Ethnic background
- White British83.2%
- White (other)4.2%
- Mixed3.5%
- Asian0.9%
- Black0.5%
Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.
Attendance & Behaviour
2024/2575% of schools in England do better than this.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
A pupil temporarily sent home for behaviour.
Like most schools in England, no pupils were permanently excluded this year.
Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.
Catchment & Local Competition
No catchment data published for this school
The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.
⚠ This school is oversubscribed — without published cutoff data we can't show how far places reach. Check your council's admissions page.
Schools within 1 mile (reference area)
1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.
8
Total schools
7
Oversubscribed
7
Primary
Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Westlands School
Helpful Guides for Parents
Ofsted Ratings Explained
Understand the 4 Ofsted ratings and what they mean
Understanding Progress 8
Learn how Progress 8 measures pupil progress from primary to GCSE
SEN & EHCP: A Parent's Guide
Understanding SEN support, EHC Plans and your legal rights
Understanding School Catchment Areas
How admission distances work and tips for maximising your choices
Contact Information
Westlands Avenue, Sittingbourne
Swale, ME10 1PF
Journey to School
Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.
Opening Hours
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