Lawn Primary School

Lawn Primary School is a caring primary where pupils are happy, safe and behave well. Inspectors found the school has improved since its previous inspection, with all key judgements now good. Leaders have refined the curriculum, prioritised early reading and mathematics after weak 2024 outcomes, and put effective training and monitoring in place. Staff support pupils’ emotional needs exceptionally well, including through the ‘Nest’ provision, and safeguarding is effective. The school is part of the Northfleet Schools Co-Operative Trust, which provides useful support, and staff report manageable workload. Pupils benefit from an ambitious, purposeful curriculum and strong early years provision. They develop subject knowledge well, take on responsibilities, and enjoy enrichment such as residentials and community careers talks. Pupils with SEND are generally supported well, and attendance systems are robust. However, two areas need sharper work. Reading tasks are not always precisely matched to pupils’ needs, especially in the recently introduced reading programme, so some pupils do not make the progress they could. Writing is ambitious in English but this ambition is not consistently applied across other subjects, leaving some pupils’ wider-curriculum writing weaker than it should be.

Strengths

• Caring, compassionate culture where pupils feel happy and safe
• Pupils behave well and show respect, kindness and empathy
• Ambitious curriculum that meets pupils’ needs and interests
• Effective leadership, training and curriculum monitoring
• Strong support from the Northfleet Schools Co-Operative Trust
• Early reading and mathematics are prioritised, with decisive action to address low outcomes
• Pupils with SEND are identified accurately and supported well
• Secure teacher subject knowledge and effective checks on pupils’ learning
• Vibrant early years provision where children achieve well
• Exceptional emotional support, including the ‘Nest’ provision
• Robust attendance monitoring and supportive work with families
• Good character enrichment through residentials and community careers talks
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• Reading activities are not always precisely adapted to pupils’ needs, limiting progress for some
• Challenge in the recently introduced reading programme is sometimes inappropriate for pupils’ specific needs
• Writing across the wider curriculum is not as ambitious as in English, so some pupils do not embed confident writing skills
• Some pupils do not routinely apply writing skills across subjects

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Lawn Primary School attended 91.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 26.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 5.3% of pupils at Lawn Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Lawn Primary School had 17.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 27.4% of pupils at Lawn Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Lawn Primary School received £8,222 and spent £8,216 for each of its 225 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £61,000 (£273 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Gravesend · Kent local authority: places and applications

Lawn Primary School is part of Northfleet Schools Co-Operative Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Northfleet Technology College Gravesend
• Northfleet School for Girls Gravesend
• Cecil Road Primary and Nursery School Gravesend
• Painters Ash Primary School Gravesend
• Shears Green Junior School Gravesend

What is Lawn Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lawn Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Lawn Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Lawn Primary School was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Lawn Primary School have?

Lawn Primary School has 237 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lawn Primary School cover?

Lawn Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Lawn Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 31% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Lawn Primary School?

Lawn Primary School is at High Street, Northfleet, Gravesend, Kent, DA11 9HB.