Loose Primary School

Loose Primary School has demonstrated good overall effectiveness with an outstanding early years provision. The school fosters a positive environment where pupils enjoy learning, and they build strong relationships with teachers, who provide a supportive and caring atmosphere. The curriculum is ambitious and well-structured, particularly in the early years and established subjects like art and physical education. However, there are areas of the curriculum that require further development to ensure all pupils fully retain knowledge in their long-term memories. With recent changes in leadership and the school's transition to an academy, this inspection marks a significant moment in its evolution.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy a supportive and caring school environment.
• Early years provision is outstanding, preparing children well for future learning.
• Curriculum is ambitious and coherently planned.
• Pupils demonstrate mature attitudes to learning and respect for teachers.
• A culture of reading is well established, enhancing pupils' literacy skills.

Areas for Improvement

• Some newer areas of the curriculum have not yet secured strong knowledge retention among pupils.

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 Loose Primary School attended 96.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.6% 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, 0.9% of pupils at Loose 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 Loose Primary School had 25.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 31.4% 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, 9.1% of pupils at Loose Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.8% 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 Loose Primary School received £5,997 and spent £6,148 for each of its 657 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £568,000 (£865 per pupil).

Across all 3 schools of Coppice Primary Partnership, income was £6,101 and spending £6,239 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 Maidstone · Kent local authority: places and applications

Loose Primary School is part of Coppice Primary Partnership, which runs 4 schools. The nearest others:

• Coxheath Primary School Maidstone
• Staplehurst School Tonbridge
• St Katherine's School & Nursery Snodland

What is Loose Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Loose Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2023.

When was Loose Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Loose Primary School was last inspected in September 2023.

How many pupils does Loose Primary School have?

Loose Primary School has 662 pupils on roll.

What age range does Loose Primary School cover?

Loose Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 74% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Loose Primary School?

Loose Primary School is at Loose Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 9UW.