Lower Halstow Primary School

Lower Halstow Primary is a caring and welcoming community school where pupils are happy, polite and enthusiastic about learning. The school has high expectations and an ambitious curriculum, and pupils achieve well overall. Behaviour and personal development are particular strengths: pupils are exceptionally respectful, learn to be well-rounded citizens, and benefit from a wide range of opportunities. Reading is at the heart of the school’s work, with a consistent and effective phonics approach, and pupils with SEND are well supported and included. Attendance work is exceptionally effective and has had a strong positive impact on pupils and families. The school is also well led, with effective governors and staff who feel valued. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and under the current framework it did not receive an overall effectiveness grade. Early years provision prepares children well for Year 1, and pupils’ books show breadth and depth in their learning. Published results by the end of key stage 2 match the national average in English and mathematics. The main area for improvement is the curriculum in a few subjects, where leaders have not clearly defined the key knowledge pupils should learn and how staff should check it. As a result, some pupils do not remember and apply their learning as well as they could. Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Strengths

• Pupils are polite, respectful and enthusiastic about school.
• Behaviour and attitudes are a particular strength, with positive and safe playtimes.
• Personal development is strong, helping pupils become well-rounded modern citizens.
• The curriculum is broad, balanced and ambitious for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils.
• Reading is prioritised effectively, with a consistent phonics approach from Reception.
• Pupils with SEND are swiftly identified, well cared for and achieve as well as their peers.
• Attendance work is exceptionally effective and has dramatically improved attendance.
• Early years provision prepares children well for Year 1 and beyond.
• Governors are effective, methodical and provide appropriate support and challenge.
• The school is an active part of its local community and supports families well.
• Staff feel valued, listened to and fulfilled in their work.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few curriculum subjects, leaders have not clearly defined the key knowledge pupils should learn and remember.
• In these subjects, staff do not rigorously check what pupils understand, so some pupils do not remember and apply their learning well enough.

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 Lower Halstow Primary School attended 93.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.4% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Lower Halstow 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 Lower Halstow Primary School had 18.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 24.5% of pupils at Lower Halstow Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.5% 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 Lower Halstow Primary School received £6,659 and spent £6,516 for each of its 200 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £184,000 (£922 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 Sittingbourne · Kent local authority: places and applications

What is Lower Halstow Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lower Halstow Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Lower Halstow Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Lower Halstow Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Lower Halstow Primary School have?

Lower Halstow Primary School has 200 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lower Halstow Primary School cover?

Lower Halstow Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 33% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Lower Halstow Primary School?

Lower Halstow Primary School is at School Lane, Lower Halstow, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 7ES.