Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School

Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School is a calm, welcoming school where pupils are well supported and achieve well from their starting points. The curriculum is ambitious and coherently sequenced from Nursery to Year 2, with communication and language at its core, and staff have strong subject knowledge. Inclusion is a particular strength: pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are identified quickly and supported precisely, often through bespoke strategies, so they can access the same curriculum as their peers. Behaviour is excellent, relationships are warm, and pupils are proud of their roles in the school community. Safeguarding standards are met. Most provision is at least expected standard, with curriculum and teaching, inclusion and personal development all showing strong practice. Personal development is well designed, with age-appropriate relationships and health education, opportunities to reflect on kindness and faith, and clear promotion of British values. Early years provision is also strong, with expert support for young children, a sharp focus on language and reading, and effective partnerships with parents. Achievement is solid, although published phonics screening check outcomes do not yet show the sustained impact of recent improvements. Leaders should continue to embed adaptive practices so that pupils with low starting points catch up rapidly and are very well prepared for key stage 2. They should also ensure that pupils with barriers to learning and/or wellbeing attend school regularly. Attendance is generally close to the national average, but persistent absence was slightly above national in 2024/25, and leaders rightly recognise the need to keep improving attendance for specific groups.

Strengths

• Ambitious and coherently sequenced curriculum from Nursery to Year 2
• Relentless focus on securing foundational knowledge and skills, especially communication and language
• Expert subject knowledge and high-quality discussions that check pupils' understanding
• Curriculum adapted highly effectively for pupils with barriers to learning, including SEND and disadvantaged pupils
• Inclusion placed at the heart of the school's work with precise, targeted support
• Phonics teaching refined with adaptive strategies that help pupils catch up quickly
• Excellent behaviour and attitudes to learning within a calm, kind and respectful culture
• Strong personal development, including age-appropriate relationships and health education
• Pupils' spiritual and moral development and their understanding of British values
• Effective early years provision with strong parent partnerships and a priority on language and reading
• Leaders and governors share clear values and hold each other to account effectively
• Staff wellbeing and professional development are well considered
• Safeguarding standards are met within an open and positive culture

Areas for Improvement

• Published phonics screening check outcomes do not yet show the sustained impact of recent improvements
• Pupils with low starting points need further embedded adaptive practices to catch up rapidly and be very well prepared for key stage 2
• Some pupils with barriers to learning and/or wellbeing need to attend school more regularly
• Persistent absence was slightly above the national average in 2024/25 (13.8% compared with 13.0%)
• Overall absence was slightly above the national average in 2024/25 (5.5% compared with 5.2%)

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 Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.8% 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 Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery 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 Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School had 20.1 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, 15.1% of pupils at Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery 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 Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School received £7,171 and spent £7,158 for each of its 294 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £243,000 (£826 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 Herne Bay · Kent local authority: places and applications

What is Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School last inspected by Ofsted?

Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School have?

Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School has 318 pupils on roll.

What age range does Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School cover?

Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School?

Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School is at Palmer Close, Herne, Herne Bay, Kent, CT6 7AH.