New Horizons Children's Academy

New Horizons Children's Academy demonstrates a strong commitment to fostering an inclusive and nurturing environment for its pupils. The school has maintained its status as a good school, as evidenced by the high expectations set by teachers and the positive attitudes of students towards their learning. With a stimulating curriculum and a wide array of extracurricular activities, pupils are engaged and proud of their achievements. There is effective support for students, particularly for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), helping them to thrive academically and socially. However, areas that require attention include ensuring all staff have a clear understanding of the key knowledge required for teaching and improving pupils' perceptions of diversity and equality.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and happy in a nurturing environment.
• Teachers have high expectations and promote aspirational thinking.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious, and inspiring.
• Effective support is provided for pupils with SEND.
• Pupils develop a love of reading through well-structured phonics teaching.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum planning lacks clarity regarding key knowledge to be taught.
• Some pupils have a negative perception of support strategies for their peers.

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 New Horizons Children's Academy attended 94.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.0% 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, 1.3% of pupils at New Horizons Children's Academy 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 New Horizons Children's Academy had 24.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.6% 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, 15.0% of pupils at New Horizons Children's Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.2% 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 New Horizons Children's Academy received £6,246 and spent £6,406 for each of its 631 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £171,000 (£272 per pupil).

Across all 19 schools of The Thinking Schools Academy Trust, income was £8,363 and spending £8,363 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

New Horizons Children's Academy is part of The Thinking Schools Academy Trust, which runs 25 schools. The nearest others:

• Holcombe Grammar School Chatham
• The Victory Academy Chatham
• The Rochester Grammar School Rochester
• Cedar Children's Academy Rochester
• All Faiths Children's Academy Rochester
• Gordons Children's Academy, Junior Rochester
• Gordons Children's Academy, Infant Rochester
• Maritime Academy Rochester
• Goodwin Academy Deal
• Colchester Royal Grammar School Colchester

What is New Horizons Children's Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for New Horizons Children's Academy is Good, from an inspection in July 2022.

When was New Horizons Children's Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

New Horizons Children's Academy was last inspected in July 2022.

How many pupils does New Horizons Children's Academy have?

New Horizons Children's Academy has 618 pupils on roll.

What age range does New Horizons Children's Academy cover?

New Horizons Children's Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are New Horizons Children's Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 35% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is New Horizons Children's Academy?

New Horizons Children's Academy is at Park Crescent, Chatham, Kent, ME4 6NR.