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Walderslade School

Secondary · Chatham · ME5 0LE

Data updated

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Inadequate

Graded inspection under the pre-November 2025 system

This is an overall-effectiveness grade from the previous inspection framework. The school has not yet had a report-card inspection.

Ofsted placed this school in a statutory category of concern, special measures, at the inspection of 22 February 2023. It stands until a later inspection lifts it.

Quality of education: InadequateBehaviour & attitudes: InadequatePersonal development: Requires improvementLeadership & management: InadequateSafeguarding effective: No

Inspected 22 February 2023

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

697 pupils · 73% of 949 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
11–18
Gender
Girls
Free school meals
40.2% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
13.6% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
7.8% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
0.5% of pupils (2024/2025)
Sixth form
Yes
Website
https://wgsp.org.uk/
URN
150869

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 73 families named it first for 112 Year 7 places, 0.65 first choices per place. We hold one Year 7 admissions round for it, 2025 entry, and it was not decided by a published distance. Ofsted last graded it Inadequate on 22 February 2023, under the framework used before November 2025. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 11.1% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

0.65 first-choice applications per place

112 places offered · 73 first-choice applications · usually has places

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. Every applicant was offered a place for 2025 entry, so distance was not needed to decide places.

Admissions cutoff distance: Year 7

Every applicant was offered a place for 2025 entry, so distance was not needed to decide places.

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Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

GCSE results (2024/2025)

140 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
29.9
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
24.3%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
11.4%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
2.5
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

A-level results (2024/2025)

A-level points per entry (England: 35 ≈ B-) C-
26.7
England 35

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school29.9
Median of its 12 closest peers41.1
Medway average46.8
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is behind the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedAttainment 8
The Hereford Church of England AcademyHereford · 147 miles awayNeeds attention39.6
Nether Stowe SchoolLichfield · 136 miles awayNeeds attention38.7
Ursuline CollegeWestgate-on-Sea · 35 miles awayGood36.1
St Patrick's Catholic College, A Voluntary Catholic AcademyStockton-on-Tees · 233 miles awayExpected standard40.3
Leigh Academy EbbsfleetSwanscombe · 11 miles awayGood42.5
Fairfield High School for GirlsManchester · 185 miles awayGood52.7
Armthorpe AcademyDoncaster · 165 miles awayRequires improvement39.5
Southlands High SchoolChorley · 207 miles awayExpected standard42.1
Nottingham Free SchoolNottingham · 133 miles awayGood51.5
South Wigston High SchoolWigston · 110 miles awayNeeds attention34.5
St Cecilia's RC High SchoolPreston · 216 miles awayGood46.2
UTC Derby Pride ParkDerby · 137 miles awayGood42

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 71% (Medway 59%, England 59%) · Black African 11% (Medway 15%, England 5%) · Any other White background 5% (Medway 6%, England 7%) · Any other ethnic group 2% (Medway 1%, England 3%) · Any other Black background 2% (Medway 1%, England 1%) · Any other Mixed background 1% (Medway 3%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 1% (Medway 1%, England 2%) · Any other Asian background 1% (Medway 1%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Asian 1% (Medway 2%, England 2%) · Mixed White and Black African 1% (Medway 1%, England 1%) · White Gypsy/Roma 1% (Medway 0%, England 0%) · Black Caribbean 1% (Medway 1%, England 1%) · Asian Bangladeshi 1% (Medway 1%, England 2%) · other groups together 1%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
11.1%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
33.4%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

87.97 suspensions per 100 pupils and 4 permanent exclusions · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Medway: 23.11 suspensions and 0.30 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
16.1
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

71% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 11% moved to another state school · 18% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, secondary academies: 0.45% vacant, 0.33% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

61.5% of teachers took sickness absence, 12.1 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £49,215; 8.9% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2024-25)

This school£6,832
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 75% (77%) · premises 8% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 9% (6%) · supplies and services 7% (11%) · educational supplies 3% (6%) · bought-in professional services 1% (1%) · catering 5% (3%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £50,000; in-year balance +£987,000

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
4/10more deprived than most of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
3/10more deprived than most of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher22.9%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications22.5%18.1%
In managerial or professional work22.5%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways25.1%18.1%
Residents in very good health44.4%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier65.2%62.3%
Social housing23.2%17.1%
Privately rented11.6%20.5%
Detached houses4.8%22.9%
Flats6.9%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms10.8%21.1%
Households with no car or van20.7%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01016067 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£300,000558 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£261,000–£360,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (93)£420,000
Semi-detached (235)£314,000
Terraced (210)£270,000
Flat (20)£168,000

Homes around this school are dearer than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
3an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
3an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
16an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
4an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools