Joy Lane Primary Foundation School

Foundation school·Primary school Whitstable, Kent·CT5 4LT
Composite score
47.0
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#8,410
National rank
#1242
In South East
#262
In Kent
Top 57%
Nationally

Performance (KS2 SATs)

% meeting expected RWM
58%
% achieving higher RWM
8%
Reading average scaled score
103.0
National avg ≈ 105
Maths average scaled score
104.0
National avg ≈ 104
Reading progress
—
Maths progress
—

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first
98%
85 first choices, 89 places
First choices per place
0.95
fewer first choices than places
Applications naming the school
162
any preference, for 89 places
First preferences per place, last five years▼ 0.18
00.511.5
1 per place
0.9120220.9620231.0320241.1420250.952026

Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this

Kent does not publish how far from the school the last child offered a Reception place lived, so there is no cut-off distance to show for Joy Lane Primary Foundation School. Ask the school or the council how places were allocated this year.

Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).

School profile

Age range
1–11
Pupils on roll
619
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6
24.2%
Typical primary: 21.5%
% EAL
4.5%
Typical primary: 9.6%

Special educational needs

% SEN support
11.5%
Typical primary: 14.3%
% with an EHC plan
8.1%
Typical primary: 3.0%

Attendance

Overall absence
5.9%
Typical primary: 5.3%
Persistently absent
15.2%
Typical primary: 13.3%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher
17.2
Typical primary: 20.7
Spend per pupil
£8,192
Typical primary: £6,960

“Typical” = the median primary school in England. What this means

Nearby primary schools

Location

School overview

Joy Lane Primary Foundation School is a primary school serving Whitstable, Kent, classified by the DfE as a foundation school. It has 619 pupils aged 1 to 11 on roll. In the most recent Key Stage 2 SATs, 58% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — broadly in line with the national average of 61%. That is down 1.0 percentage points in the proportion reaching the expected standard on the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the lower half of primary schools nationally.

Pupils achieved an average scaled score of 103 in reading and 104 in maths (national averages are about 105 and 104). 8% reached the higher standard across all three subjects (around 8% do so nationally). 98% of the families who made Joy Lane Primary Foundation School their first choice were offered a Reception place for September 2026, even though the school made at least as many offers as it had first choices - the rest withdrew, moved or fell outside a priority group. Overall pupil absence was 5.9%. There are about 17.2 pupils per teacher. Joy Lane Primary Foundation School does not currently have a recent graded Ofsted judgement on record (often the case for newer or recently converted schools), so it is worth asking when its next inspection is expected. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.

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