Mayplace Primary School

Mayplace Primary School is a welcoming, inclusive school where pupils feel safe, valued and included. Behaviour is excellent in lessons and around the school, personal development is a standout strength, and early years provision is particularly strong. Pupils, including those with SEND and those in the on-site specially resourced provision for autism, access an ambitious and broad curriculum, and reading is prioritised from Nursery onwards. Staff feel well supported, and parents, governors and trust leaders speak positively about the school. This was a graded section 5 inspection, and under current arrangements no overall effectiveness grade was awarded. The main area for improvement is the curriculum in some subjects, where recent changes are not yet fully embedded. Staff are still getting to know new content and assessment approaches, so pupils’ misconceptions and gaps in knowledge are not always picked up and corrected quickly. Attendance is also an ongoing focus, although the school is working collaboratively with families to improve it. Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and valued, and can name a trusted adult.
• Behaviour is excellent in lessons and around the school.
• Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning and clear routines are embedded.
• Personal development is a strength, covering health, mental wellbeing, tolerance and respect.
• Reading is prioritised from Nursery, with a well-matched phonics programme and catch-up support.
• The curriculum is ambitious and builds knowledge from early years to Year 6.
• Pupils with SEND, including those in the specially resourced provision, access a broad curriculum and are fully included.
• The rainbow classes provide an exceptional quality of education for pupils in the specially resourced provision.
• Staff are overwhelmingly positive, well supported and mindful of workload.
• Governors and trust leaders know the school well and hold leaders to account.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Parents praise staff, SEND support and pupils’ behaviour.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum improvements are at an early stage in some subjects.
• Assessment approaches are not fully developed in some subjects.
• Staff are still familiarising themselves with new curriculum content.
• Pupils’ misconceptions and gaps in knowledge are not always identified and corrected in lessons.
• Attendance continues to require improvement, though the school is taking action.

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 Mayplace Primary School attended 94.4% 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, 0.8% of pupils at Mayplace 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 Mayplace Primary School had 21.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.2% 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, 25.0% of pupils at Mayplace Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 15 pupils.

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 Mayplace Primary School received £7,128 and spent £7,019 for each of its 643 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £261,000 (£406 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of The Primary First Trust, income was £6,524 and spending £6,354 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.

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All schools in Bexley · Bexley local authority: places and applications

Mayplace Primary School is part of The Primary First Trust, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• Barnehurst Infant School Erith
• Barnehurst Junior School Erith
• Lessness Heath Primary School Belvedere
• Springhead Park Primary School Northfleet
• Westcourt Primary School Gravesend
• Cuxton Community Junior School Rochester
• Cuxton Community Infant School Rochester
• Wainscott Primary School Rochester
• Wayfield Primary School Chatham
• Parkwood Primary School Gillingham

What is Mayplace Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Mayplace Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Mayplace Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Mayplace Primary School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Mayplace Primary School have?

Mayplace Primary School has 623 pupils on roll.

What age range does Mayplace Primary School cover?

Mayplace Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Mayplace Primary School?

Mayplace Primary School is at Woodside Road, Barnehurst, Kent, DA7 6EQ.