What did Ofsted judge The Charles Dickens School's overall effectiveness to be?

Ofsted judged The Charles Dickens School's overall effectiveness as Good at its inspection in March 2023, on Ofsted's own scale.

How many pupils attend The Charles Dickens School?

The Charles Dickens School has 1,117 pupils on roll.

What ages does The Charles Dickens School take?

The Charles Dickens School admits pupils aged 11 to 18.

Where is The Charles Dickens School located?

The Charles Dickens School is located in Broadstairs, CT10 2RL, Kent.

How do I apply to The Charles Dickens School?

The Charles Dickens School is a state school. In England you apply through the council where you live, using its common application form, even if the school is in another council area. The national closing date for secondary places is 31 October.

How are Year 7 places decided at The Charles Dickens School?

When The Charles Dickens School has more applications than places for 2027-28, they are offered in a published order of priority: 1. Looked After Children and previously Looked After Children — A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to a school. A previously looked after child means such children who were adopted (or subject to child arrangements orders or special guardianship orders) immediately following having been looked after and those children who appear to the admission authority to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted; 2. Sibling/Current Family Association — A brother or sister attending the school when the child starts. In this context brother or sister means children who live as brother or sister in the same house, including natural brothers and sisters, adopted siblings, step-brothers or sisters and foster brothers and sisters; 3. Children of staff — a) Where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made, and/or b) The member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post in the school for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage for the requirements of the post, and 1 further criteria. The school offers 232 places at this entry point. Tie-break: If, in the event, more than one applicant has the same distance from home to school (as measured by the local authority), then a random selection will be applied. In the event that the final place offered from the ranked list falls to a pupil of a multiple birth, the school will offer a place to each of these children who have met the over-subscription criteria.

What is the largest ethnic background at The Charles Dickens School?

According to the DfE School Census 2025-26, 81.1% of pupils at The Charles Dickens School are recorded as White British. The full ethnic breakdown across all groups is available on the Pupils tab.

The Charles Dickens School: Ofsted, Results & Catchment 2026

How places are decided at The Charles Dickens School

When there are more applications than places for 2027-28 (Year 7), places are offered in this order of priority. Meeting a higher criterion beats meeting a lower one.

1Looked After Children and previously Looked After Children — A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to a school. A previously looked after child means such children who were adopted (or subject to child arrangements orders or special guardianship orders) immediately following having been looked after and those children who appear to the admission authority to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.
2Sibling/Current Family Association — A brother or sister attending the school when the child starts. In this context brother or sister means children who live as brother or sister in the same house, including natural brothers and sisters, adopted siblings, step-brothers or sisters and foster brothers and sisters.
3Children of staff — a) Where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made, and/or b) The member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post in the school for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage for the requirements of the post.
4Nearness of children's homes to school — we use the distance between the child's permanent home address (defined in KCC's annual admissions prospectus) and the school, measured in a straight line using the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) address point.

If two applications tie: If, in the event, more than one applicant has the same distance from home to school (as measured by the local authority), then a random selection will be applied. In the event that the final place offered from the ranked list falls to a pupil of a multiple birth, the school will offer a place to each of these children who have met the over-subscription criteria.

In the event of over subscription with one of the criteria, other than (3), proximity to the school will be the deciding factor.

Published by the admission authority. Meeting a criterion never guarantees a place — it sets the order places are offered in. Full detail, other entry points and previous years are on the Admissions tab.

The Charles Dickens School: key facts

What did Ofsted judge The Charles Dickens School's overall effectiveness to be?: Ofsted judged The Charles Dickens School's overall effectiveness as Good at its inspection in March 2023, on Ofsted's own scale.
How many pupils attend The Charles Dickens School?: The Charles Dickens School has 1,117 pupils on roll.
What ages does The Charles Dickens School take?: The Charles Dickens School admits pupils aged 11 to 18.
Where is The Charles Dickens School located?: The Charles Dickens School is located in Broadstairs, CT10 2RL, Kent.
How do I apply to The Charles Dickens School?: The Charles Dickens School is a state school. In England you apply through the council where you live, using its common application form, even if the school is in another council area. The national closing date for secondary places is 31 October.
How are Year 7 places decided at The Charles Dickens School?: When The Charles Dickens School has more applications than places for 2027-28, they are offered in a published order of priority: 1. Looked After Children and previously Looked After Children — A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to a school. A previously looked after child means such children who were adopted (or subject to child arrangements orders or special guardianship orders) immediately following having been looked after and those children who appear to the admission authority to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted; 2. Sibling/Current Family Association — A brother or sister attending the school when the child starts. In this context brother or sister means children who live as brother or sister in the same house, including natural brothers and sisters, adopted siblings, step-brothers or sisters and foster brothers and sisters; 3. Children of staff — a) Where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made, and/or b) The member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post in the school for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage for the requirements of the post, and 1 further criteria. The school offers 232 places at this entry point. Tie-break: If, in the event, more than one applicant has the same distance from home to school (as measured by the local authority), then a random selection will be applied. In the event that the final place offered from the ranked list falls to a pupil of a multiple birth, the school will offer a place to each of these children who have met the over-subscription criteria.
What is the largest ethnic background at The Charles Dickens School?: According to the DfE School Census 2025-26, 81.1% of pupils at The Charles Dickens School are recorded as White British. The full ethnic breakdown across all groups is available on the Pupils tab.

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How places are decided at The Charles Dickens School

When there are more applications than places for 2027-28 (Year 7), places are offered in this order of priority. Meeting a higher criterion beats meeting a lower one.

1Looked After Children and previously Looked After Children — A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to a school. A previously looked after child means such children who were adopted (or subject to child arrangements orders or special guardianship orders) immediately following having been looked after and those children who appear to the admission authority to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.
2Sibling/Current Family Association — A brother or sister attending the school when the child starts. In this context brother or sister means children who live as brother or sister in the same house, including natural brothers and sisters, adopted siblings, step-brothers or sisters and foster brothers and sisters.
3Children of staff — a) Where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made, and/or b) The member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post in the school for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage for the requirements of the post.
4Nearness of children's homes to school — we use the distance between the child's permanent home address (defined in KCC's annual admissions prospectus) and the school, measured in a straight line using the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) address point.

In the event of over subscription with one of the criteria, other than (3), proximity to the school will be the deciding factor.

The Charles Dickens School: key facts

What did Ofsted judge The Charles Dickens School's overall effectiveness to be?: Ofsted judged The Charles Dickens School's overall effectiveness as Good at its inspection in March 2023, on Ofsted's own scale.
How many pupils attend The Charles Dickens School?: The Charles Dickens School has 1,117 pupils on roll.
What ages does The Charles Dickens School take?: The Charles Dickens School admits pupils aged 11 to 18.
Where is The Charles Dickens School located?: The Charles Dickens School is located in Broadstairs, CT10 2RL, Kent.
How do I apply to The Charles Dickens School?: The Charles Dickens School is a state school. In England you apply through the council where you live, using its common application form, even if the school is in another council area. The national closing date for secondary places is 31 October.
How are Year 7 places decided at The Charles Dickens School?: When The Charles Dickens School has more applications than places for 2027-28, they are offered in a published order of priority: 1. Looked After Children and previously Looked After Children — A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to a school. A previously looked after child means such children who were adopted (or subject to child arrangements orders or special guardianship orders) immediately following having been looked after and those children who appear to the admission authority to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted; 2. Sibling/Current Family Association — A brother or sister attending the school when the child starts. In this context brother or sister means children who live as brother or sister in the same house, including natural brothers and sisters, adopted siblings, step-brothers or sisters and foster brothers and sisters; 3. Children of staff — a) Where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made, and/or b) The member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post in the school for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage for the requirements of the post, and 1 further criteria. The school offers 232 places at this entry point. Tie-break: If, in the event, more than one applicant has the same distance from home to school (as measured by the local authority), then a random selection will be applied. In the event that the final place offered from the ranked list falls to a pupil of a multiple birth, the school will offer a place to each of these children who have met the over-subscription criteria.
What is the largest ethnic background at The Charles Dickens School?: According to the DfE School Census 2025-26, 81.1% of pupils at The Charles Dickens School are recorded as White British. The full ethnic breakdown across all groups is available on the Pupils tab.

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The Charles Dickens School

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The Charles Dickens School: key facts

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How places are decided at The Charles Dickens School

The Charles Dickens School: key facts

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