Crest Infant School
Crest Infant School is a community school in Rochester for pupils aged 4 to 7. It has 121 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for Crest Infant School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025. Attendance is a concern: pupils missed 9.1% of sessions in 2024/25 (the national figure for primary schools is 5.2%), and 29% of pupils were persistently absent. It has more teachers for its size than most primary schools: 14.6 pupils for each teacher in 2025/26, against 20.7 nationally.
Ofsted inspection: June 2025.
| Type | Primary / Community school |
| Age Range | 4-7 |
| Religion | Does not apply |
| Address | Fleet Road Rochester Kent ME1 2QA |
| Reference Number | 118330 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 121 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 56.2%
Girls: 43.8% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 44.6% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 22.3% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 24.5 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 24.5 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | 17 | 35 |
| 2 | 27 | 22 | 49 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 70.2% |
| African | 6.6% |
| White, Other | 4.1% |
| White & Black (African) | 2.5% |
| Mixed, Other | 2.5% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 1.7% |
| Caribbean | 1.7% |
| Indian | 0.8% |
| Asian, Other | 0.8% |
Crest Infant School maintains effective standards from its previous inspection, providing a joyful and nurturing environment for pupils. Staff build strong relationships with students and their families, ensuring that every child's needs are understood. The school has high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and offers them inclusive support. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, promoting both academic and personal development, though improvement is needed in the foundation subjects' teaching quality to maximize pupils' potential.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Good |
| Last Report Date | 07 May 2025 |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 07 May 2025 | School inspection |
| 11 Feb 2020 | School inspection |
| 21 Jun 2016 | Full inspection: |
| 04 Jun 2014 | Full inspection: |
| 08 Dec 2010 | Full inspection: |
| 17 Oct 2007 | Full inspection: |
| 09 Dec 2002 | Full inspection |
Strengths
- Positive, welcoming environment fostering pupil happiness.
- High expectations for all pupils, particularly those with SEND.
- Effective development of early reading and phonics skills.
- Strong focus on personal, social, and emotional development.
- Rich opportunities for extracurricular activities.
- Well-supported governance and staff well-being initiatives.
Areas for Improvement
- Some staff lack secure subject knowledge in foundation subjects.
Reception admissions, 2026 entry
Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment
| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 40 | 6 |
| Third Preference | 16 | 2 |
| From another Local Authority | 0 | 0 |
Previous years
Sample
UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 Crest Infant School had 137 pupils for 270 places. 133 places (49.3%) were unfilled.
Pupils and places
Reception intake in the “Rochester Primary” planning area
Medway counted 259 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 241 in 2029–30, down 7%.
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Places | 270 | 270 | 270 | 270 | 270 | 270 | 270 | 270 | 270 | 270 | 270 | 270 | 270 | 270 | 270 |
| Pupils | 186 | 221 | 242 | 257 | 261 | 270 | 267 | 263 | 238 | 205 | 172 | 163 | 153 | 164 | 137 |
| Unfilled | 31.1% | 18.1% | 10.4% | 4.8% | 3.3% | 0.0% | 1.1% | 2.6% | 11.9% | 24.1% | 36.3% | 39.6% | 43.3% | 39.3% | 49.3% |
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 Crest Infant School attended 90.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 28.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 3.8% | 3.3% | 3.5% | 3.7% | 3.2% | 3.6% | 2.4% | 6.2% | 5.7% | 5.9% | 7.7% |
| Unauthorised absence | 1.7% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 0.6% | 1.4% | 1.9% | 2.1% | 1.3% |
| Severely absent pupils | 1.6% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.8% | 0.9% | 1.6% | 6.6% |
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 Crest Infant School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 6.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Permanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 Crest Infant School had 14.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 26.7% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 13.3 | 14.2 | 14.7 | 10.8 | 11.2 | 11.5 | 11.0 | 10.7 | 11.2 | 8.6 | 8.4 | 8.8 | 9.3 | 11.1 | 8.7 | 7.8 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 9.4% | 18.2% | 18.5% | 19.4% | 3.4% | 5.9% | 9.3% | 5.6% | 3.7% | 0.0% | 21.3% | 4.2% | 6.5% | 0.0% | 15.6% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | 46.2% | 31.3% | 50.0% | 52.6% | 57.9% | 72.2% | 57.1% | 31.6% | 52.9% | – | 80.0% | 76.9% | 54.5% | 81.8% | 80.0% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | 5.7 | 1.0 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 14.3 | 4.3 | 1.3 | 3.8 | – | 10.1 | 6.5 | 7.8 | 2.8 | 4.4 | – |
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 Crest Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).
Pupils by main type of need
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Speech, language and communication needs | 17 | 2 |
| Social, emotional and mental health | 7 | 2 |
| Moderate learning difficulty | 2 | 0 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 0 | 1 |
| Other difficulty or disability | 1 | 0 |
| Physical disability | 0 | 1 |
| Severe learning difficulty | 0 | 1 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 1 | 0 |
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 Crest Infant School received £11,361 and spent £10,554 for each of its 121 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £188,000 (£1,553 per pupil).
Income per pupil
Spending per pupil
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | £90,000 | -£87,000 | -£14,000 | £12,000 | £33,000 | -£6,000 | £90,000 | £188,000 |
| per pupil | £372 | -£437 | -£74 | £68 | £189 | -£34 | £659 | £1,553 |
| In-year balance | £16,000 | -£177,000 | £73,000 | £27,000 | £21,000 | -£39,000 | £171,000 | £98,000 |
| per pupil | £68 | -£886 | £374 | £147 | £118 | -£232 | £1,250 | £807 |
Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).
| Name | Distance |
|
Delce Academy
The Tideway, Rochester, Kent, ME1 2NJ |
0.07 miles |
|
Balfour Infant School
Pattens Lane, Rochester, Kent, ME1 2QT |
0.32 miles |
|
Balfour Junior School
Balfour Road, Chatham, Kent, ME4 6QX |
0.41 miles |
|
St Peter's Infant School
Holcombe Road, Rochester, Kent, ME1 2HU |
0.41 miles |
|
St William of Perth Roman Catholic Primary School
Canon Close, Maidstone Road, Rochester, Kent, ME1 3EN |
0.41 miles |
|
Warren Wood Primary School
Arethusa Road, Rochester, Kent, ME1 2UR |
0.5 miles |
|
St John's Church of England Infant School
4 New Street, 4 New Street, Chatham, Kent, ME4 6RH |
0.77 miles |
|
New Horizons Children's Academy
Park Crescent, Chatham, Kent, ME4 6NR |
0.77 miles |
|
St Michael Catholic Primary and Nursery School
Hills Terrace, Chatham, Kent, ME4 6PX |
0.81 miles |
|
St Margaret's at Troy Town CofE Voluntary Controlled Primary School
King Street, Rochester, Kent, ME1 1YF |
0.91 miles |
|
Phoenix Primary School
Glencoe Road, Chatham, Kent, ME4 5QD |
0.96 miles |
|
St Andrew's School (Rochester)
24 - 26 Watts Avenue, Rochester, Kent, ME1 1SA |
0.97 miles |
|
Greenvale Primary School
Symons Avenue, Chatham, Kent, ME4 5UP |
1 miles |
|
The Pilgrim School (A Church of England Primary With Nursery)
Warwick Crescent, Borstal, Rochester, Kent, ME1 3LF |
1.12 miles |
|
New Road Primary School
Bryant Street, Chatham, Kent, ME4 5QN |
1.18 miles |
|
Wayfield Primary School
Wayfield Road, Chatham, Kent, ME5 0HH |
1.22 miles |
|
All Saints Church of England Primary School
Magpie Hall Road, Chatham, Kent, ME4 5JY |
1.27 miles |
|
Rochester Riverside Church of England Primary School
Gas House Road, Rochester, Kent, ME1 1US |
1.42 miles |
|
Horsted Infant School
Barberry Avenue, Chatham, Kent, ME5 9TF |
1.45 miles |
|
Horsted Junior School
Barberry Avenue, Chatham, Kent, ME5 9TF |
1.48 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
The Rochester Grammar School
Maidstone Road, Rochester, Kent, ME1 3BY |
0.25 miles |
|
Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School
Maidstone Road, Rochester, Kent, ME1 3EL |
0.34 miles |
|
The Thomas Aveling School
Arethusa Road, Arethusa Road, Rochester, Kent, ME1 2UW |
0.5 miles |
|
Holcombe Grammar School
Holcombe, Maidstone Road, Chatham, Kent, ME4 6JB |
0.64 miles |
|
Blue Skies School
126 Maidstone Road, Chatham, Kent, ME4 6DQ |
0.66 miles |
|
St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School
City Way, Rochester, Kent, ME1 2FA |
0.66 miles |
|
Fort Pitt Grammar School
Fort Pitt Hill, Chatham, Kent, ME4 6TJ |
0.73 miles |
|
Medway Secure Training Centre
Sir Evelyn Road, Rochester, ME1 3YB |
0.79 miles |
|
Oasis Restore
1 Kennington Road, London, SE1 7QP |
0.79 miles |
|
Ripplevale School Rochester
9-13 New Road, Rochester, Kent, Rochester, Kent, ME1 1BG |
0.87 miles |
|
Rochester Independent College
254 St Margaret's Banks, Rochester, Kent, ME1 1HY |
0.91 miles |
|
The Victory Academy
Magpie Hall Road, Chatham, Kent, ME4 5JB |
1.12 miles |
|
King's School, Rochester
Satis House, Rochester, ME1 1TE |
1.26 miles |
|
Bradfields Academy
Churchill Avenue, Chatham, Kent, ME5 0LB |
1.54 miles |
|
INSPIRE Free Special School
Churchill Avenue, Silverbank, Chatham, Kent, ME5 0LB |
1.54 miles |
|
Walderslade School
Bradfields Avenue, Walderslade, Chatham, Kent, ME5 0LE |
1.57 miles |
|
Hospital and Medical Tuition Service
The School Room, Dolphin Ward, Gillingham, ME7 5NY |
1.62 miles |
|
Brompton Academy
Marlborough Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 5HT |
1.64 miles |
|
Greenacre School
157 Walderslade Road, Walderslade, Chatham, Kent, ME5 0LP |
1.65 miles |
|
Chatham Grammar
Rainham Road, Chatham, Kent, ME5 7EH |
1.81 miles |
All schools in Rochester · Medway local authority: places and applications
What is Crest Infant School's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for Crest Infant School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.
When was Crest Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?
Crest Infant School was last inspected in June 2025.
How many pupils does Crest Infant School have?
Crest Infant School has 121 pupils on roll.
What age range does Crest Infant School cover?
Crest Infant School for pupils aged 4 to 7.
Where is Crest Infant School?
Crest Infant School is at Fleet Road, Rochester, Kent, ME1 2QA.