St Nicholas CEVC Primary School

St Nicholas CEVC Primary School is a caring and orderly school where pupils feel safe, behave well and enjoy learning. The early years provision is a notable strength, with an ambitious curriculum, strong vocabulary development and well-planned phonics that helps children get off to a good start. Pupils benefit from strong pastoral support, effective safeguarding and a broad range of clubs and opportunities that develop them as well-rounded individuals. Reading has a high priority across the school, and staff use regular checks and interventions to help pupils keep up. However, the quality of education in key stages 1 and 2 is not yet good. Expectations are not high enough, the curriculum lacks ambition, and learning activities are often too easy because the school has not carefully identified pupils' starting points. Assessment is not used well to spot and address misconceptions, and errors in spelling, punctuation and handwriting are not routinely corrected. Some pupils with SEND do not receive support that is sufficiently adapted to their needs, so they do not achieve as well as they should. Leadership and governance are improving but remain at an early stage. The acting headteacher has made positive changes to school culture, communication and staff well-being, and governors are beginning to hold leaders to account more effectively. Even so, leaders do not yet have an accurate view of how well the curriculum is being implemented or how well pupils are achieving, and there are no clear plans in place to secure the necessary improvements. This was the school's first routine inspection since 2013, following a period of exemption, the COVID-19 pandemic, and its recent expansion to include key stage 2.

Strengths

• Early years provision is ambitious and well planned, with high expectations for children.
• Phonics is taught effectively from Reception, and reading has a high priority across the school.
• Pupils behave well, attend regularly and have positive attitudes to learning.
• Strong pastoral support helps pupils feel safe and cared for.
• Personal development is well developed through the school's values and a broad range of clubs.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• The school identifies pupils with SEND effectively and works with external agencies to secure support.
• Recent changes under the acting headteacher have improved communication and staff well-being.
• Governors are beginning to take more effective action to hold the school to account.

Areas for Improvement

• The key stage 1 and 2 curriculum is not ambitious enough, and some pupils complete work that is too easy.
• The school has not carefully identified pupils' starting points, so learning activities are not well adapted to their needs.
• Assessment is not used effectively to identify and address misconceptions and gaps in pupils' learning.
• Errors in spelling, punctuation and handwriting are not routinely corrected, so pupils repeat the same mistakes.
• Information about pupils with SEND is not used effectively to adapt curriculum delivery, hindering their learning.
• Leaders do not have sufficient oversight of curriculum implementation or pupil achievement.
• There are no clear plans in place to strengthen provision, and governors' improved oversight is still in its infancy.

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 St Nicholas CEVC Primary School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.0% 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, 1.4% of pupils at St Nicholas CEVC 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 St Nicholas CEVC Primary School had 18.6 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, 14.1% of pupils at St Nicholas CEVC Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.8% 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 St Nicholas CEVC Primary School received £7,517 and spent £7,536 for each of its 156 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £28,000 (£177 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).

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All schools in Rochester · Medway local authority: places and applications

What is St Nicholas CEVC Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Nicholas CEVC Primary School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was St Nicholas CEVC Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Nicholas CEVC Primary School was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does St Nicholas CEVC Primary School have?

St Nicholas CEVC Primary School has 156 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Nicholas CEVC Primary School cover?

St Nicholas CEVC Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

Where is St Nicholas CEVC Primary School?

St Nicholas CEVC Primary School is at London Road, Strood, Rochester, Kent, ME2 3HU.