Lordswood School

Lordswood School is performing at an exceptionally high level, with inspectors finding outstanding provision across quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years. Pupils are described as safe, valued and highly motivated, and they make rapid progress through an ambitious curriculum that is tailored closely to individual needs. The school has a strong commitment to equity and fairness, excellent support for pupils with SEND, and highly effective reading and early years practice. Behaviour is exemplary and pupils have exceptional opportunities to develop personally and socially. Many pupils join at untypical times during the year, and the school works effectively to assess starting points and close gaps. Published outcomes do not fully reflect the progress pupils make, although the report notes that some pupils do not reach national expectations by the end of key stage 2. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, and trust and governance systems are well developed and supportive. This was a graded inspection of a primary academy within The Griffin Schools Trust; the previous inspection grade was good, and this was the school's second routine inspection since the pandemic.

Strengths

• Ambitious curriculum that exceeds the scope of the national curriculum and is well sequenced
• Expert teaching staff with strong subject knowledge
• Rapid pupil progress regardless of starting points
• Excellent support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities
• Highly effective early years focus on speech, language and communication
• Excellent reading provision, including bespoke additional phonics support
• Exemplary pupil behaviour and a calm, focused learning environment
• Exceptional personal development and character-building opportunities
• Strong pupil leadership and voice, including the pupil parliament
• Effective attendance support and strong advocacy for families
• Well-developed trust monitoring and governance systems
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Staff development focused on pupils' educational and pastoral needs
• Pupils become resilient, independent learners ready for the next stage
• Strong partnership with parents and carers to support reading at home

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils do not reach national expectations by the end of key stage 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 Lordswood School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.3% 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 Lordswood School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Lordswood School had 23.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.6% 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, 14.2% of pupils at Lordswood School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.9% 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 Lordswood School received £6,143 and spent £6,183 for each of its 395 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £391,000 (£990 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of The Griffin Schools Trust, income was £7,909 and spending £8,064 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

Lordswood School is part of The Griffin Schools Trust, which runs 13 schools. The nearest others:

• Kingfisher Community Primary School Chatham
• Saxon Way Primary School Gillingham
• Riverley Primary School London
• Willow Brook Primary School Academy London
• Lammas School London
• Nicholas Chamberlaine School Bedworth
• Exhall Junior School Warwickshire
• Race Leys Junior School Bedworth
• Park Lane Primary School Nuneaton
• Chivenor Primary School Birmingham

What is Lordswood School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lordswood School is Outstanding, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Lordswood School last inspected by Ofsted?

Lordswood School was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Lordswood School have?

Lordswood School has 409 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lordswood School cover?

Lordswood School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Lordswood School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 76% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Lordswood School?

Lordswood School is at Lordswood Lane, Chatham, Kent, ME5 8NN.