Bodsham Church of England Primary School Review 2026: Small Rural Primary with Top 10% Results in England

A very small Church of England primary serving Bodsham and the surrounding villages, this is a school where daily worship and outdoor learning sit alongside ambitious academic expectations. The most recent published Key Stage 2 results are strikingly strong, and local demand can be high despite the modest size of the intake. The school operates as part of a federation with Saltwood Church of England Primary School, with an executive headteacher across both schools and a headteacher leading Bodsham day to day.

As a state school, there are no tuition fees. Families should still expect the usual costs associated with primary education, such as uniform, trips, and optional wraparound care.

Small schools can feel exposed if routines are inconsistent. Here, the published structure of the day suggests the opposite: clear start times, a defined lesson sequence, and worship built into the rhythm of the morning. In a four class model, pupils spend much of their time in mixed-year settings, so independence and peer support tend to matter earlier than in a larger two-form entry primary.

Leadership is shared across the federation. The school’s staff list names Mrs M Stephen as headteacher, while the federation model includes an executive headteacher, Mr Paul Newton. For parents, that typically means strategic decisions and some staffing are coordinated across schools, while day-to-day culture is shaped by the Bodsham team.

Faith is a visible part of daily life. Worship appears as a timetabled feature, and the school explicitly frames its approach through Christian values described as love, creativity and strength. The effect for families is practical: children are likely to experience a clear moral vocabulary, regular collective worship, and a close link between school life and the local church community.

The headline story is high attainment at Key Stage 2. In the most recent published outcomes, 86.67% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with an England average of 62%. That is a large margin, even allowing for the swings that can happen in small cohorts.

At the higher standard, 40% of pupils reached the higher threshold in reading, writing and mathematics, compared with an England average of 8%. Scaled scores are also strong, reading 110, mathematics 107, and grammar, punctuation and spelling 110. These figures suggest secure fundamentals across the core curriculum.

Rankings provide additional context for parents comparing nearby schools. Bodsham Church of England Primary School is ranked 900th in England and 2nd in Ashford for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), placing it well above England average (top 10%).

A final nuance matters because this is a very small school: percentages can be driven by a handful of pupils. The safest interpretation is not that every year will match these results, but that the school has demonstrated it can deliver very strong outcomes with a small intake when teaching and routines align.

In a small rural primary, breadth comes from thoughtful planning rather than scale. Mixed-year classes can be a strength when the curriculum is sequenced well, because pupils revisit concepts and see them applied at different levels. It also requires careful differentiation, particularly at Key Stage 2, where pupils may span a wide range of starting points within one classroom.

Sport appears to be used intentionally as part of the wider curriculum. The school states that coaches from Elite Community Coaching deliver weekly physical education alongside class teachers, with an explicit aim of improving staff confidence and skills through team teaching. That model can be especially valuable in small schools where staffing flexibility is limited and specialist expertise is harder to sustain internally.

Swimming is another practical indicator of curriculum choices. The school reports additional sessions for Year 6 in summer 2025 to maximise the proportion able to swim at least 25m before transfer. For parents, that is a useful signal of how the school targets life skills within the constraints of time, transport, and rural access to facilities.

As a primary school, the main transition is into Year 7. Families usually need to think about three things early: the realistic travel pattern to the next school, whether siblings can follow the same route, and whether selective options are part of the plan.

Because admissions are coordinated through Kent, most pupils will move into Kent secondary provision. In practice, the likely destinations depend on where families live relative to the wider cluster of villages, and on the balance between non-selective and selective preferences in a given year. For families considering a selective route, it is worth planning well ahead, because the culture around preparation often starts earlier than parents expect in parts of Kent.

A practical step is to map travel times at the end of Year 5 rather than waiting until Year 6. Rural journeys can look short on a map but feel long in winter traffic and with limited public transport options.

Reception admissions are handled through Kent’s coordinated process rather than direct allocation by the school. The school’s admissions information indicates that applications are made via the Kent online admissions route, and it also notes that tours for prospective parents run through the autumn, with open days typically in October and November.

Local demand is visible in the most recent application and offer figures provided here. For the primary entry route, there were 16 applications for 9 offers, which equates to 1.78 applications per place. The school is recorded as oversubscribed. In small schools, these numbers can change quickly year to year, but they do suggest that entry may be competitive in some cohorts.

For families planning for 2026 entry, Kent’s primary admissions guidance sets out the key timeline. The national closing date for applications is 15 January 2026, national offer day is 16 April 2026, and the deadline for parents to accept or refuse the offered place is 30 April 2026. Parents should verify the current year’s details through Kent’s admissions pages in case of updates, but these dates provide a reliable working baseline for planning.

A useful approach for rural schools is to treat open days as a first filter, then follow up with a focused set of questions: how mixed-year teaching is organised, what support looks like for pupils who need extra challenge, and how the school manages transitions for children joining outside Reception.

In a very small setting, pastoral care often works best when it is simple and consistent. Pupils are known quickly, and issues can be addressed early because staff see the same children across lessons, lunch, and clubs. The published routine also includes worship, which can reinforce shared expectations around behaviour, kindness, and responsibility.

The latest Ofsted inspection (25 May 2022) judged the school Good overall, with Outstanding judgements for behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision.

For parents, the most useful implication is not the label, but the likely experience: calm routines, clear expectations, and a setting where personal development is treated as a priority rather than an add-on.

Extracurricular life in a small school works differently. The programme is less about dozens of options and more about making sure every pupil gets access to a few well-run activities across the year.

Sport is a visible strand. The school describes participation in the Shepway Sports Trust School Games competition package and Rural Hub sports events, supported by coaches and inter-school travel. It also references extracurricular clubs including football, gymnastics and multi-sports. The implication is breadth through rotation, children can try different activities across terms rather than being locked into one pathway early.

Pupil voice is formalised through School Council, with two representatives from each year group from Year 1 to Year 6. The council meets to discuss practical issues such as equipment, clubs and fundraising events, and the school states that representatives feed back to their classes. In a small school, this can be a meaningful leadership experience because the link between pupil ideas and real change is easier to see.

The school also references the Share the Love Project, which centres on pupil messages and community connection. While it is not a club in the traditional sense, it signals a values-led approach to belonging and relationships, particularly when pupils have limited local peer groups outside school.

The school day is clearly set out: gates open at 8.40am, with registration at 8.50am, and finish times listed as 3.25pm for Key Stage 1 and 3.30pm for Key Stage 2. Worship is shown as part of the daily timetable at 10.00am.

Wraparound care is available. Breakfast Club runs from 8.00am Monday to Friday and is priced at £3.50 per child per day. After-school wraparound is offered through TeachSport Canterbury, running until 6.00pm and priced at £12 per child, with snacks provided. Costs and availability can change, so parents should treat these as a guide and check the latest arrangements when booking.

For transport, the practical reality is that most families will be driving or arranging shared lifts given the rural location. Planning for winter journeys and after-school collection is worth doing early, particularly if pupils attend clubs or wraparound.

• Small cohort effects. With a small roll and four classes, year-to-year results and peer group dynamics can shift quickly. Strong results are reassuring, but parents should look at how the school supports children across mixed-year groups.

• Competition for places can fluctuate. Recent data shows more applications than offers at the primary entry point. In small schools, a handful of additional families can change the picture, so it is wise to keep alternatives in mind while applying.

• Faith is part of the daily routine. Worship is built into the timetable and the school frames its ethos through Christian values. Families who want a fully secular approach should weigh fit carefully.

• Wraparound costs add up. Breakfast Club and after-school care are available, but regular use changes the weekly cost profile. Parents should budget early if both are essential for work patterns.

Bodsham Church of England Primary School combines the intimacy of a very small rural primary with results that compare strongly across England. The federation model and clear daily routine point to orderly leadership and consistent expectations, while sport and pupil voice add breadth beyond the core curriculum. Best suited to families who value a close-knit setting, a Church of England ethos, and a structured school day, and who are comfortable with mixed-year classes and the realities of rural logistics. Entry can be the limiting factor in some years, so shortlisting a second local option remains sensible.