North Borough Junior School

North Borough Junior School continues to be a good school that fosters an inclusive and nurturing environment. Pupils are happy and feel safe, thriving under high expectations from both staff and peers. The school places a strong emphasis on celebrating diversity and the unique backgrounds of its students, promoting kindness and respect throughout the community. There is a commitment to ensuring that all students, including those with additional needs, receive the support they require to succeed academically and personally. The school has designed an ambitious and accessible curriculum, focusing on essential knowledge and skills. Although reading is a particular strength, with effective support in place for all pupils to become confident readers, there is a notice that assessment practices could be improved in some subjects. This means some teachers may not consistently check for understanding, which could impact pupils' ability to recall and apply all the knowledge they've learned across the curriculum. Overall, the school is well-regarded by parents and staff, indicating strong community support.

Strengths

• Pupils thrive in an inclusive and nurturing environment.
• Strong emphasis on high expectations for learning.
• Reading is a strength, with a focus on developing confident readers.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs.
• Strong relationships between staff and pupils.
• Commitment to pupils' broader development and leadership roles.

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment in some subjects is not consistently in place.
• Some teachers do not identify and correct misunderstandings effectively.

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 North Borough Junior School attended 93.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.9% 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, 2.5% of pupils at North Borough Junior 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 North Borough Junior School had 20.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.3% 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, 23.1% of pupils at North Borough Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.0% 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 North Borough Junior School received £7,606 and spent £7,395 for each of its 350 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £238,000 (£680 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 North Borough Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for North Borough Junior School is Good, from an inspection in November 2023.

When was North Borough Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

North Borough Junior School was last inspected in November 2023.

How many pupils does North Borough Junior School have?

North Borough Junior School has 350 pupils on roll.

What age range does North Borough Junior School cover?

North Borough Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are North Borough Junior School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is North Borough Junior School?

North Borough Junior School is at North Borough Junior School, Peel Street, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 2BP.