Penenden Heath

Summary

Penenden Heath (E02005069) is part of Kent local authority (view on map). Penenden Heath has an approximate population of 9,400 people, of which 19% are children 15 years old and under. It is classified as "urban: nearer to a major town or city".

Penenden Heath neighbours Boxley & Detling, Ringlestone & Central Maidstone, and Grove Green.

Guidance and data sources

Local area pages are based on the middle-layer super output areas (MSOAs) distributed across the country. MSOAs comprise between 2,000 and 6,000 households and have a resident population of, generally, between 5,000 and 15,000 people. MSOAs fit within local authorities. For each area, descriptive statistics are compared with local authority and national averages. For more information about MSOAs, please visit the Office for National Statistics website.

The data displayed is sourced from:

Deprivation

Penenden Heath is the 46th least deprived area in Kent (out of 183) with 22% of children living in low-income families, compared to 32% across Kent and 38% nationally.

Data source

State-funded pupil characteristics

Information acquired from the school census.

Free school meals

In Penenden Heath, 12% of state-funded pupils are eligible for free school meals, compared to 27% in Kent and 27% nationally.

Contents

Percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals

Table showing the percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals

% in Penenden Heath % in Kent % in England
Eligible for free school meals 12% 27% 27%
Not eligible for free school meals 88% 73% 73%

Data source

Special educational needs

In Penenden Heath, 16% of pupils in state-funded settings have special educational needs (SEN), compared to 19% in Kent, and 19% nationally.

This includes the number of pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan and the number of pupils with SEN support.

Contents

Percentage of pupils with special educational needs in schools

Table showing the percentage of pupils with special educational needs in schools

% in Penenden Heath % in Kent % in England
No special educational needs 85% 81% 81%
Receiving special educational needs support 11% 13% 14%
With an education, health, and care plan (EHCP) 5% 6% 5%

Data source

Ethnicity

In Penenden Heath, 18% of pupils are from a minority ethnic background, compared to 22% in Kent, and 33% nationally.

Percentages may not sum to 100%, due to small values being suppressed.

Contents

Percentage of pupils by major ethnic groups

Table

% in Penenden Heath % in Kent % in England
White 81% 77% 67%
Asian 8% 7% 14%
Black 3% 6% 7%
Mixed 7% 7% 7%
Other 1% 1% 3%
Not known 1% 1% 2%

Data source

English as an additional language

The percentage of pupils in Penenden Heath with English as an additional language is 20%, compared with 14% in Kent, and 22% nationally.

Numbers may not sum to 100%, due to a small number of pupils with an unclassified language.

Contents

Percentage of pupils with English as an additional language

Table

% in Penenden Heath % in Kent % in England
Known or believed to be other than English 20% 14% 22%
Known or believed to be English 80% 86% 78%

Data source

Provider information

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Registered childcare providers

Penenden Heath has 12 registered childcare providers.

Type Number in Penenden Heath
All childcare providers 12
Childminders 8
Pre-school/day nursery/out-of-school care 4

There have been no inspections of childcare providers in Penenden Heath since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.

Data source

State-funded schools

Penenden Heath has 1 state-funded school.

Type Number in Penenden Heath
All state-funded schools 1
Nursery schools 0
Primary and all-through schools 1
Secondary and all-through schools 0
Special schools 0
Registered alternative provision 0

There have been no inspections of schools in Penenden Heath since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.

Data sources: