Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough

Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough, part of the Rivermead Inclusive Trust, has been rated as good across all areas with outstanding personal development. The school prides itself on its caring environment and strong educational values, fostering a supportive atmosphere where pupils can thrive. While there are notable strengths in subjects like English and mathematics, where pupils achieve well, the school is aware of areas that need improvement, particularly in ensuring that knowledge is systematically built across all subjects. This being the first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, the school has effectively adapted its practices to support all learners, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Strengths

• Ambitious goals for all pupils' achievements.
• Strong understanding of school values among pupils.
• Excellent support for pupils with SEND, especially in the Marlborough provision.
• High-quality phonics teaching and reading support.
• Positive relationships between staff and pupils fostering a respectful environment.
• Effective nurturing and pastoral care enhancing pupils' personal development.

Areas for Improvement

• Unclear knowledge progression in a few subjects.
• Inconsistent use of assessment in some areas leading to gaps in knowledge retention.

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 Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough attended 93.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.8% 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, 1.1% of pupils at Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough 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 Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough had 15.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.6% 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, 21.6% of pupils at Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 18.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 88 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 Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough received £8,752 and spent £9,368 for each of its 548 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £347,000 (£633 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Rivermead Inclusive Trust, income was £9,787 and spending £10,366 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 Rochester · Medway local authority: places and applications

Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough is part of Rivermead Inclusive Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Rivermead School Gillingham
• The Academy of Woodlands Gillingham
• Luton Primary School Chatham
• INSPIRE Free Special School Chatham
• Walderslade Primary School Chatham

What is Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough is Good, from an inspection in April 2024.

When was Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough last inspected by Ofsted?

Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough was last inspected in April 2024.

How many pupils does Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough have?

Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough has 546 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough cover?

Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough?

Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough is at Pottery Road, Hoo St Werburgh, Rochester, Kent, ME3 9BS.