Palm Bay Primary School
Primary · Academy converter · Ages 5–11 · Margate, Kent
Last distance offered · Reception 2026
0.978 miles
Published by Kent County Council · offers on 16 April 2026
2023–2025 trend 🔒
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
Palm Bay Primary School is a primary school in Margate, Kent for ages 5–11 (academy converter). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Not judged, from the inspection on 28 January 2025. Kent has published a last distance offered for this school for Reception 2023 to 2026 entry.
Palm Bay Primary School catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Reception 2026 | 0.978 mi |
| Reception 2025 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2024 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2023 | 🔒 With a pass |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- For Reception 2026, the last child offered a place lived 0.978 miles away, the 102nd shortest of 434 Kent primary schools with a published last distance (middle figure 2.24 miles).
- The 2026 Reception last distance was further than in 2023, and the 2026 figure was the longest of the 4 years with a published distance.
- Reception 2026 had 72 first-choice applications for 60 offers; 59 offers went to first-choice families, so 13 first-choice families (18%) were not offered a place.
- 2024/25: 59% in reading, writing and maths was 3rd highest of 8 schools: this one and the 7 of the 8 nearest primary schools in Kent that have results.
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Kent schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- Palm Bay Avenue, Cliftonville, Margate, CT9 3PP
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 5–11
- Council
- Kent
- Pupils on roll
- 407 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 27% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 19.2
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Not judged Inspected 28 January 2025
Strengths
- “Pupils achieve well in this happy, busy and friendly school.”
- “The school sets high expectations for all pupils’ achievement and behaviour, regardless of ability or background.”
- “Pupils rise to these high expectations.”
To improve
- “In a few subjects, the school has given more emphasis on teaching subject knowledge rather than developing skills.”
- “As a result, while pupils are acquiring secure subject knowledge, some are less secure in applying it to explore ideas or interpret information.”
- “Sometimes a few pupils lose focus in lessons, becoming chatty and fidgety.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 3 March 2025 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| Key stage 2 · reading, writing and maths, expected standard (2024/25) | 59% | 62% |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Reception entry: 72 first-preference applications, 60 offers in total, 59 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby primary schools
Straight-line distance, in Kent.
- Cliftonville Primary School 0.6 mi Good Last distance published
- Northdown Primary School 0.8 mi Good Last distance published
- Drapers Mills Primary Academy 1.3 mi School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next Last distance published
- Callis Grange Nursery and Infant School 1.3 mi Good Last distance published
- St Peter-in-Thanet CofE Junior School 1.4 mi Outstanding
- Margate, Holy Trinity and St John's Church of England Primary School 1.5 mi Good Last distance published
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Broadstairs 1.8 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Salmestone Primary School 1.8 mi Standards maintained Last distance published