Find the best primary schools in Thanet. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
Thanet has 34 primary schools, all in Kent council's area. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 34, 16 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any Thanet primary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| Chilton Primary School | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| Ramsgate Arts Primary School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| St Peter-in-Thanet CofE Junior School | Church of England | 4.2 / 5 |
| St Nicholas At Wade Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.1 / 5 |
| St Gregory's Catholic Primary School, Margate | Roman Catholic | 4.0 / 5 |
| Priory Infant School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Ramsgate, Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| St Mildred's Primary Infant School |
There are 34 primary schools in Thanet. Of those, 1 is an all-through school, teaching both primary and secondary years.
Apply by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. If you live in Thanet, that council is Kent. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 34 primary schools in Thanet, 16 have a religious character: 13 Church of England and 3 Roman Catholic. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
On our star rating, the highest rated are Chilton Primary School (4.4), Ramsgate Arts Primary School (4.3), St Peter-in-Thanet CofE Junior School (4.2), St Nicholas At Wade Church of England Primary School (4.1) and St Gregory's Catholic Primary School, Margate (4.0). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and SATs results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. Of the 34 schools here, 30 have enough published data for a rating.
| Mixed |
| 4.0 / 5 |
| Callis Grange Nursery and Infant School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Upton Junior School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| St Saviour's Church of England Junior School | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| Monkton Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 |
| St Ethelbert's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.8 / 5 |
| Garlinge Primary School and Nursery | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Palm Bay Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Newlands Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Broadstairs | Roman Catholic | 3.5 / 5 |
| Dame Janet Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Minster Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.3 / 5 |
| St Laurence In Thanet Church of England Junior Academy | Church of England | 3.3 / 5 |
| Birchington Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.2 / 5 |
| Newington Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Margate, Holy Trinity and St John's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.0 / 5 |
| Cliftonville Primary School | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| St George's Church of England Foundation School | Church of England, all-through | 2.9 / 5 |
| Christ Church Church of England Junior School, Ramsgate | Church of England | 2.9 / 5 |
| Northdown Primary School | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Salmestone Primary School | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| Drapers Mills Primary Academy | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| Bromstone Primary School, Broadstairs | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 |
| Ellington Infant School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Minster Church of England Primary School | Church of England | Not yet rated |
| Monkton Church of England Primary School | Church of England | Not yet rated |
| St Crispin's Infant School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you. Appeals for Reception to Year 2 rarely succeed, because infant classes are limited to 30 pupils by law and a panel can only admit above that limit in narrow circumstances.