Phoenix Primary School

Phoenix Primary School has made significant progress since its previous inspection, moving from a grade of requires improvement to good in overall effectiveness. The school provides a nurturing environment where pupils feel safe, happy, and engaged in their community. Leaders have implemented an ambitious curriculum that caters to all students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. While the curriculum is well-structured, outcomes for Year 6 students in core subjects have not yet improved to reflect this quality, highlighting a challenge that the school is actively addressing.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate enthusiasm for learning and exhibit good manners.
• Strong relationships exist between staff and pupils.
• Implementation of an ambitious curriculum that supports inclusive education.
• Effective phonics program that promotes early reading skills.
• High expectations set by leaders for pupil behavior and learning.
• Comprehensive approach to pupils' physical and mental well-being.

Areas for Improvement

• Year 6 outcomes in reading, writing, and mathematics do not currently meet expected standards.
• Persistent absence rates for some vulnerable groups are too high.

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 Phoenix Primary School attended 91.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 34.0% 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, 2.2% of pupils at Phoenix 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 Phoenix Primary School had 21.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.3% 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, 15.4% of pupils at Phoenix Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.3% 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 Phoenix Primary School received £6,589 and spent £6,714 for each of its 412 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £167,000 (£405 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of Beyond Schools Trust, income was £7,811 and spending £7,751 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 Chatham · Medway local authority: places and applications

Phoenix Primary School is part of Beyond Schools Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Balfour Junior School Chatham
• Fort Pitt Grammar School Chatham
• Warren Wood Primary School Rochester
• The Thomas Aveling School Rochester
• The Robert Napier School Gillingham
• Walderslade School Chatham
• Greenacre School Chatham
• Hilltop Primary School Rochester
• Chantry Community Primary School Gravesend

What is Phoenix Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Phoenix Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2023.

When was Phoenix Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Phoenix Primary School was last inspected in September 2023.

How many pupils does Phoenix Primary School have?

Phoenix Primary School has 396 pupils on roll.

What age range does Phoenix Primary School cover?

Phoenix Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

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

In 2025, 38% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Phoenix Primary School?

Phoenix Primary School is at Glencoe Road, Chatham, Kent, ME4 5QD.