Bligh Primary School (Juniors)

Bligh Primary School (Juniors) performs well, maintaining a good overall effectiveness rating. The school is characterized by its welcoming atmosphere, with values emphasizing honesty, empathy, achievement, resilience, and teamwork. Pupils enjoy a supportive learning environment, highlighted by strong relationships between staff and students, and they feel safe and respected. The leadership team is committed to providing a high-quality education and demonstrates effective safeguarding practices. Areas like reading are prioritized, showing strong results as pupils develop a love for literature, while adequate support exists for those with special educational needs.

Strengths

• Strong positive relationships between pupils and staff.
• Effective leadership and management.
• Ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum.
• High expectations for pupils' behaviour and attitudes.
• Pupils feel safe and valued.
• Strong provision for pupils with SEND.
• Reading is a high priority with effective support and enjoyment promoted.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in teachers’ understanding and delivery of the curriculum in some subjects.

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 Bligh Primary School (Juniors) attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.0% 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, 1.7% of pupils at Bligh Primary School (Juniors) 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 Bligh Primary School (Juniors) had 18.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.6% 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, 18.1% of pupils at Bligh Primary School (Juniors) were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.5% 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 Bligh Primary School (Juniors) received £12,031 and spent £11,514 for each of its 355 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £616,000 (£1,735 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of Maritime Academy Trust, income was £9,896 and spending £9,406 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

Bligh Primary School (Juniors) is part of Maritime Academy Trust, which runs 13 schools. The nearest others:

• Bligh Primary School (Infants) Rochester
• Barnsole Primary School Gillingham
• Danecourt School Gillingham
• Featherby Infant and Nursery School Gillingham
• Featherby Junior School Gillingham
• Ebbsfleet Green Primary School Swanscombe
• Hook Lane Primary School Welling
• Timbercroft Primary School London
• Greenacres Primary School and Language Impairment Unit London
• Nightingale Primary School London

What is Bligh Primary School (Juniors)'s Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bligh Primary School (Juniors) is Good, from an inspection in September 2023.

When was Bligh Primary School (Juniors) last inspected by Ofsted?

Bligh Primary School (Juniors) was last inspected in September 2023.

How many pupils does Bligh Primary School (Juniors) have?

Bligh Primary School (Juniors) has 343 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bligh Primary School (Juniors) cover?

Bligh Primary School (Juniors) for pupils aged 7 to 11.

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

In 2025, 56% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bligh Primary School (Juniors)?

Bligh Primary School (Juniors) is at Bligh Way, Strood, Rochester, Kent, ME2 2XJ.