Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #237 in Kent public Top 63% UK

Palm Bay Primary School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMiss Lizzie Williams

corporate_fareEKC SCHOOLS TRUST LIMITED

location_onMargate, CT9 3PP

language Visit Website phone 1843290050

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2025

groups

Students

424

school

Expected Standard

59%

local_fire_department

Demand Ratio

1.2x

summarize

Palm Bay Primary School is a Academy converter primary school in Margate, serving ages 5-11. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.2×) — apply through your local authority on time. Ranks in the top 63% of primary schools nationally.

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School Summary

Palm Bay Primary School is an academy converter in Margate, Kent, admitting pupils aged 5-11. It is part of EKC SCHOOLS TRUST LIMITED. The school has approximately 414 pupils on roll, of whom 30% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 59% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 3% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #237 of 424 primaries in Kent and #8,093 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2025. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Outstanding, and leadership and management Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.2× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 20.1:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 0.5 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

59%

LA 61%

Reading81% LA 74%

Writing68% LA 72%

Maths78% LA 70%

Read SS

107

Maths SS

105

GPS SS

104

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

68%

LA 60%England 61%

Reading82% LA 75% · Eng 74%

Writing82% LA 73% · Eng 72%

Maths74% LA 69% · Eng 73%

Read SS

107

Maths SS

105

GPS SS

105

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

48%

LA 58%England 60%

Reading69% LA 72% · Eng 73%

Writing69% LA 72% · Eng 71%

Maths54% LA 69% · Eng 73%

Read SS

105

Maths SS

GPS SS

101

Progress (0 = national avg)

-0.7

Read

LA -0.4

-2.3 to 0.9

0.4

Write

LA -0.2

-1.2 to 2.0

-4.2

Maths

LA -1.2

-5.7 to -2.7

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

28 January 2025

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2025-01-28

S5 Inspection EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Good

2014-10-23

S5 Inspection EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2010-01-19

None EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

0.7%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 0.8% for this term (primary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.5%(2 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 414 pupils. During this period, there were 3 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.7%, which is below the termly national average of 0.8%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg
2024/25 (Spring term)	414	3	0.7%	0.8%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	418	1	0.2%	0.9%
2023/24 (Summer term)	419	3	0.7%	0.8%
2023/24 (Spring term)	421	0	0.0%	0.7%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	418	4	1.0%	0.8%
2022/23 (Summer term)	416	3	0.7%	0.7%
2022/23 (Spring term)	424	0	0.0%	0.6%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	421	5	1.2%	0.6%
2021/22 (Summer term)	424	2	0.5%	0.5%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	421	3	0.7%	0.5%

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 25 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 12 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 8 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 6 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 1 pupils

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Palm Bay Primary School

School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Primary Schools in Kent

Westgate Primary School

Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard

Kingsdown and Ringwould Church of England Primary School

Thornden Wood Primary School

Leigh Academy Paddock Wood

The Discovery School