Schools in Margate
Margate in the Thanet district of Kent has 14 schools in the catchment.school database, including 8 primaries and 1 secondary. Admissions are coordinated by Kent County Council under the selective Kent Test system. Two schools hold a faith designation, and five area schools hold Good or Outstanding Ofsted ratings — a strong overall performance given the socio-economic pressures on the Thanet coast.
Hartsdown Academy is the main non-selective secondary in Margate, while grammar school options in Ramsgate and Broadstairs (including Chatham and Clarendon Grammar School) are accessible to pupils who pass the Kent Test. Primary schools such as Garlinge Primary and Holy Trinity and St John's Church of England Primary are among the larger primary providers. Families new to the Kent admissions system should note that the Kent Test registration deadline falls in September of Year 5 — before the standard admissions timeline begins.
School demand in Margate
Across the 11 schools in Margate with published capacity data, the average fill rate is 90%. 3 of them are currently at or above their published admission number, and at those schools catchment distance is likely to decide places at the next intake.
2 schools in Margate have a religious character, so faith criteria sit alongside catchment distance in their admissions policies.
7 of the schools in Margate are academies that set their own admissions criteria independently of Kent, so check each school's policy directly rather than assuming the council default applies.
5 of the schools in Margate have a current Ofsted rating, of which 5 are rated Good or Outstanding. Demand and catchment distance tend to be tightest at the highest-rated schools.
Primary schools in Margate: 1 oversubscribed (8)
Margate, Holy Trinity and St John's Church of England Primary School
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Margate · CT9 1LU
Garlinge Primary School and Nursery
Primary · Foundation school
Margate · CT9 5PA
Northdown Primary School
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Margate · CT9 3RE
Salmestone Primary School
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Margate · CT9 4DB
Drapers Mills Primary Academy
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Margate · CT9 2SP
Cliftonville Primary School
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Margate · CT9 3LY
St Gregory's Catholic Primary School, Margate
Primary · Academy converter
Margate · CT9 4BU
Palm Bay Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Margate · CT9 3PP
Secondary Schools in Margate (1)
Other Schools in Margate (5)
St Anthony's School
Not applicable · Foundation special school
Margate · CT9 3RA
Enterprise Learning Alliance
Not applicable · Pupil referral unit
Margate · CT9 4JA
The Llewellyn School and Nursery
Not applicable · Other independent special school
Margate · CT7 0BB
Liberty College
Not applicable · Special post 16 institution
Margate · CT9 4JA
Life Skills Enterprise
Not applicable · Other independent special school
Margate · CT9 3TP
Catchment area boundaries for schools in Margate are set by Kent and updated each year. The "last distance offered", how far the furthest successful applicant lived, changes annually based on the number of applications received.