School profile

Palace Wood Primary School

Primary · Community school · Maidstone, ME16 0AB

Good

Map showing Palace Wood Primary School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#5,617 of 15,057

Better than 62% of schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Palace Wood Primary School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 4 Jul 2017

Ofsted rating
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeCommunity school
Ages4 to 11
Pupils417
GenderMixed
Head teacherMrs Clare Cairns
Local authorityKent
Opened01 Jan 2007
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 135106.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolKentEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths69%, better than England, better than Kent62%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.8%, similar to England, similar to Kent10%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.105, similar to England, similar to Kent106106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.105, similar to England, similar to Kent104105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.102, worse than England, worse than Kent104105
Expected standard in reading75%, similar to England, similar to Kent75%76%
Expected standard in writing78%, better than England, better than Kent74%73%
Expected standard in maths80%, better than England, better than Kent71%75%
Pupils taking tests64--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils417
Girls211
Boys206
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.15.8%
First language not English10.6%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.420
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.0.7%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.36
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.8
Average class size29.9

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
80.1%
Other White
3.8%
Indian
2.4%
Other Asian
2.2%
Other ethnic group
1.9%
African
1.7%
White and Asian
1.4%
Other mixed
1.4%
Chinese
1%
White and Black Caribbean
0.7%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher19.3
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.11.5
Teachers (FTE)21.61
Teaching assistants (FTE)14.5
Support staff (FTE)19.86
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2522.4
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2520.2
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/250
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/252.2

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.60
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.146
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.57
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.55
Applications from another local authority (Reception)1

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolKentEngland
Overall absence4.9%, similar to England, better than Kent5.4%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.11.1%, better than England, better than Kent14.4%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.0.8%, similar to England, similar to Kent1.2%1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate2.6%
Pupils with one or more suspensions1.9%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Palace Wood Primary School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.3 miPrimaryAllington Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Outstanding
0.7 miSecondaryThe Maplesden Noakes SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.7 miPrimarySt Francis' Catholic Primary School, MaidstoneAcademy converter
Good
0.7 miPrimaryBrunswick House Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.7 miSecondarySt Simon Stock Catholic SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.8 miSecondaryMaidstone Grammar School for GirlsFoundation school
Outstanding
0.9 miSecondarySt Augustine AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Requires improvement
1.0 miSecondaryOakwood Park Grammar SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.0 miPrimaryWest Borough Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.2 miPrimarySt Michael's Church of England Infant School MaidstoneVoluntary controlled school
Good

Frequently asked questions about Palace Wood Primary School

What is Palace Wood Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Palace Wood Primary School is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected on 4 Jul 2017.

How does Palace Wood Primary School rank in England?

Palace Wood Primary School ranks 5,617 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (better than 62% of schools).

What are Palace Wood Primary School's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 69% of pupils at Palace Wood Primary School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into Palace Wood Primary School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Palace Wood Primary School made 60 offers from 146 applications (2.4 per offer), and 55 of 57 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Palace Wood Primary School?

Palace Wood Primary School has 417 pupils aged 4 to 11.

What is the capacity of Palace Wood Primary School?

Palace Wood Primary School had 420 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Palace Wood Primary School?

At Palace Wood Primary School, the average class had 29.9 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 19.3 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Palace Wood Primary School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Palace Wood Primary School missed 4.9% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 11.1% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.