Lynsted and Norton Primary School

Lynsted and Norton Primary School is a small, inclusive school with a strong sense of community, where pupils are well looked after and behave well. Inspectors found the school to be good in quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management, with outstanding early years provision. This is a notable improvement from the previous inspection grade of requires improvement. Pupils enjoy an ambitious curriculum, achieve well in most subjects, and benefit from strong reading and phonics teaching. Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported effectively to access the same curriculum as their peers. The early years provision is exceptionally well planned, with staff knowing children extremely well and tailoring learning expertly. Reading is a priority, and pupils become confident, fluent readers. Pupils learn about different cultures and beliefs, contribute positively to the community, and feel safe. The trust provides strong collaboration, training, and support, and governors and trustees offer effective support and challenge. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. There are some areas for improvement. New schemes of work have been introduced in some subjects, but these are not fully embedded, so pupils' recall of prior learning is less secure in those subjects. Staff questioning is not always as effective as it could be, and pupils are not always challenged to deepen their understanding. Attendance remains high but is decreasing steadily due to robust monitoring and strong relationships with families.

Strengths

• Strong sense of community in a small, inclusive school
• Pupils are well looked after by kind and caring staff
• Pupils behave well and create a calm, purposeful learning environment
• Ambitious curriculum carefully adapted for mixed-age classes
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported effectively
• Phonics is taught consistently well, and pupils become confident readers
• Teachers are knowledgeable and explain new concepts clearly
• Early years curriculum is exceptionally well planned and delivered
• Staff know every child extremely well and tailor learning to individual needs
• Robust attendance monitoring and strong relationships with families
• Pupils learn about different cultures and contribute positively to the community
• Strong collaboration between the trust and school enhances staff expertise
• Governors and trustees provide effective support and challenge
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• New schemes of work in some subjects are not fully embedded
• Pupils' recall of previous learning is less secure in subjects with new curriculums
• Gaps in pupils' knowledge in these subjects need to be addressed swiftly
• Teaching needs to better support pupils to remember long-term and integrate new knowledge
• Staff questioning is not always as effective as it could be
• Pupils are not always challenged to deepen their understanding
• Absence remains high, although it is decreasing steadily

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 Lynsted and Norton Primary School attended 91.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 27.6% 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 Lynsted and Norton 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 Lynsted and Norton Primary School had 14.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 50.0% 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, 28.6% of pupils at Lynsted and Norton Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.2% 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 2024–25 Lynsted and Norton Primary School received £10,965 and spent £9,738 for each of its 69 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £234,000 (-£3,394 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of Our Community Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,845 and spending £7,701 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Sittingbourne · Kent local authority: places and applications

Lynsted and Norton Primary School is part of Our Community Multi Academy Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• The Oaks Infant School Sittingbourne
• Minterne Junior School Sittingbourne
• Milstead and Frinsted Church of England Primary School Sittingbourne
• Bredgar Church of England Primary School Sittingbourne
• Borden Church of England Primary School Sittingbourne
• Selling Church of England Primary School Faversham
• Petham Primary School Canterbury
• Dymchurch Primary School Romney Marsh
• Lydd Primary School Romney Marsh

What is Lynsted and Norton Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lynsted and Norton Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Lynsted and Norton Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Lynsted and Norton Primary School was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Lynsted and Norton Primary School have?

Lynsted and Norton Primary School has 63 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lynsted and Norton Primary School cover?

Lynsted and Norton Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

Where is Lynsted and Norton Primary School?

Lynsted and Norton Primary School is at Lynsted Lane, Lynsted, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 0RL.