Schools in Canterbury
47 state-funded schools, 22,194 pupils. 97.8% of those carrying an Ofsted grade are Good or Outstanding, including 8 rated Outstanding.
Ofsted Management Information, Feb 2026. Grades are the current published rating, which may pre-date the school’s most recent visit.
Ofsted grades
1 school has been inspected under Ofsted's post-September-2024 report-card framework, which replaces the single 1–4 grade with separate judgments. Those are excluded from the percentages above rather than mapped onto the old scale, because the two scales have no clean equivalence.
Quick answers
How many schools are there in Canterbury?
Canterbury has 47 state-funded schools teaching 22,194 pupils. 35 primary, 10 secondary, 2 special.
What percentage of schools in Canterbury are Good or Outstanding?
97.8% of the 46 schools carrying an Ofsted grade in Canterbury are rated Good or Outstanding: 8 Outstanding and 37 Good. 1 require improvement and 0 are rated Inadequate.
Which schools in Canterbury are rated Outstanding?
8 schools are currently rated Outstanding by Ofsted in Canterbury: Reculver Church of England Primary School, Blean Primary School, Sturry Church of England Primary School, Herne Church of England Junior School, Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School, Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed Church of England Junior School, and 2 more listed below.
Are there grammar schools in Canterbury?
Yes. Canterbury has 3 selective (grammar) schools: Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School, Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys, Barton Court Grammar School. Selective schools admit by entrance exam, so the local non-selective intake differs from the national picture.
Rated Outstanding
Ofsted’s highest grade. Largest first; a grade can be several years old, so the year is shown.
- Reculver Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary455Outstanding 2018
- Blean Primary SchoolPrimary427Outstanding 2022
- Sturry Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary413Outstanding 2025
- Herne Church of England Junior SchoolPrimary370Outstanding 2023
- Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery SchoolPrimary308Outstanding 2021
- Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed Church of England Junior SchoolPrimary225Outstanding 2022
- Westmeads Community Infant SchoolPrimary140Outstanding 2025
- Wickhambreaux Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary107Outstanding 2025
By phase
| Phase | Schools | Graded | Good or better |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | 35 | 34 | 100% |
| Secondary | 10 | 10 | 90% |
| Special | 2 | 2 | 100% |
Every school in Canterbury
Showing 20 of 47 schools.
| New framework | Links | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Canterbury Academy | Secondary | 1,984 | Requires Improvement2023 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Herne Bay High School | Secondary | 1,545 | Good2022 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Simon Langton Girls' Grammar SchoolGrammar | Secondary | 1,256 | Good2023 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Simon Langton Grammar School for BoysGrammar | Secondary | 1,211 | Good2024 | — | OfstedWebsite |
The Whitstable School | Secondary | 1,109 | Good2024 | — | OfstedWebsite |
St Anselm's Catholic School, Canterbury | Secondary | 1,107 | Good2023 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Barton Court Grammar SchoolGrammar | Secondary | 1,005 | Good2020 | — | OfstedWebsite |
The Archbishop's School | Secondary | 791 | Good2023 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Hampton Primary School | Primary | 677 | Good2024 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Orion Spires | Secondary | 667 | Good2023 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Joy Lane Primary Foundation School | Primary | 619 | Good2024 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Swalecliffe Community Primary School | Primary | 500 | Good2023 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Reculver Church of England Primary School | Primary | 455 | Outstanding2018 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Barton Manor School | Secondary | 449 | Good2025 | — | OfstedWebsite |
St Johns Church of England Primary School | Primary | 436 | Good2024 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Wincheap Foundation Primary School | Primary | 429 | Good2021 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Blean Primary School | Primary | 427 | Outstanding2022 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Bridge and Patrixbourne Church of England Primary School | Primary | 424 | Good2023 | — | OfstedWebsite |
The Canterbury Primary School | Primary | 416 | Good2022 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Sturry Church of England Primary School | Primary | 413 | Outstanding2025 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Schools are one input. Canterbury’s pay, house prices, rent, council tax, crime and deprivation are on the Canterbury profile, and the UK regions tool compares all 361 Local Authorities side by side.