Hollingbourne Primary School

Hollingbourne Primary School is a small primary school that is performing securely overall. Inspectors found pupils are happy, safe, well behaved and attend regularly, and that safeguarding is met through an open and positive culture. Personal development and wellbeing is a clear strength: pupils benefit from a well-planned programme, strong pastoral care and a wide range of outdoor learning and residential experiences that build confidence, resilience and independence. The school is inclusive, and pupils with SEND or additional needs are generally well supported to take part in all aspects of school life. However, practice is not yet consistently strong across all areas. Published outcomes have varied, and mathematics and the Year 4 multiplication tables check have been weaker than leaders expected. Some pupils do not secure foundational knowledge and skills—including early reading, vocabulary, handwriting and mathematics—as firmly as intended. Curriculum implementation and agreed teaching approaches are not yet embedded consistently in every subject and class, and in the early years adult interactions do not always target individual next steps, particularly for children with the greatest needs. Adaptations for vulnerable pupils, including more bespoke SEND support, are also not applied with equal precision in every classroom. Leaders and governors understand the school's context and priorities well, and recent actions—such as improved phonics and a sharper focus on mathematics—are beginning to show impact. The school is meeting expected standards overall, with personal development standing out as strong. The next steps are to strengthen consistency in teaching, foundational skills and bespoke support so that all pupils achieve as well as they can.

Strengths

• Highly effective personal development programme that builds confident, respectful and responsible pupils.
• Strong pastoral care and nurturing relationships; pupils feel safe, valued and listened to.
• Rich outdoor learning, residential visits and wider experiences that develop resilience and independence.
• Pupils behave well, are polite and respectful, and lessons are calm and purposeful.
• Attendance is regular, and leaders work closely with families to tackle barriers to attendance.
• Inclusive culture where pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and vulnerable pupils are supported to participate fully.
• Effective leadership and governance, with strong oversight of safeguarding, staff wellbeing and school improvement.
• Early reading is prioritised, phonics teaching is structured, and improved phonics outcomes show positive impact.
• Pupils achieve well from their starting points and develop secure subject knowledge in many areas.
• Children get a positive start in early years, with a strong emphasis on communication, language and early reading.
• Staff receive well-considered training and value leaders' support for workload and wellbeing.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where concerns are identified and managed.

Areas for Improvement

• Published outcomes in mathematics and the Year 4 multiplication tables check have been weaker than leaders expected.
• Some pupils do not secure foundational knowledge and skills, including early reading, vocabulary, handwriting and mathematics.
• Curriculum implementation and agreed teaching approaches are not yet consistently embedded across all subjects and classes.
• Adult interactions in early years do not always target individual next steps, especially for children with the greatest needs.
• Adaptations for vulnerable pupils, including bespoke SEND support, are not implemented with equal confidence and precision in every classroom.
• Disadvantaged pupils' combined reading, writing and mathematics outcomes and mathematics outcomes are below national averages over the latest three-year period.

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 Hollingbourne Primary School attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.5% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Hollingbourne 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 Hollingbourne Primary School had 16.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.2% 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, 18.8% of pupils at Hollingbourne Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.2% 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 Hollingbourne Primary School received £8,872 and spent £8,822 for each of its 96 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £95,000 (£989 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 Maidstone · Kent local authority: places and applications

What is Hollingbourne Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hollingbourne Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Hollingbourne Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hollingbourne Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Hollingbourne Primary School have?

Hollingbourne Primary School has 96 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hollingbourne Primary School cover?

Hollingbourne Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 53% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Hollingbourne Primary School?

Hollingbourne Primary School is at Eyhorne Street, Hollingbourne, Maidstone, Kent, ME17 1UA.