St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School
St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School is an academy converter in Gillingham for pupils aged 3 to 11. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It has 237 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School is Good, from an inspection in June 2023 of its predecessor, St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School.
Ofsted inspection: October 2024.
| Type | Primary / Academy converter |
| Age Range | 3-11 |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Address | Romany Road Rainham Romany Road Gillingham Kent ME8 6JH |
| Reference Number | 150466 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 237 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 41.77%
Girls: 58.23% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 9.7% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 24.5% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 29.5 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 27.5 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 31.3 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | 17 | 30 |
| 2 | 6 | 20 | 26 |
| 3 | 12 | 18 | 30 |
| 4 | 15 | 15 | 30 |
| 5 | 15 | 18 | 33 |
| 6 | 13 | 18 | 31 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 53.2% |
| African | 18.6% |
| Indian | 8% |
| White, Other | 4.2% |
| Mixed, Other | 4.2% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 2.1% |
| White & Asian | 2.1% |
| Caribbean | 2.1% |
| Asian, Other | 1.7% |
| White & Black (African) | 1.3% |
| Irish | 0.4% |
This school has not been graded since it changed URN, usually on converting to an academy. The rating shown is from its predecessor, St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School, inspected in June 2023.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Good |
| Last Report Date | This school has not had an inspection yet. |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 05 Oct 2024 | Academy conversion letter |
Reception admissions, 2026 entry
Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment
| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 17 | 1 |
| Third Preference | 4 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 1 | 1 |
Previous years
Sample
UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School had 209 pupils for 240 places. 31 places (12.9%) were unfilled.
Reception intake in the “Rainham North Primary” planning area
Medway counted 259 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 284 in 2029–30, up 10%.
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 St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 3.0% |
| Unauthorised absence | 1.2% |
| Severely absent pupils | 0.0% |
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, 0.0% of pupils at St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 0.0 |
| Permanent exclusions | 0 |
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 St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School had 25.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 14.0 | 15.1 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 0.0% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | 63.6% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | 4.9 | – |
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, 21.1% of pupils at St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).
Pupils by main type of need
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Speech, language and communication needs | 13 | 1 |
| Social, emotional and mental health | 11 | 2 |
| Moderate learning difficulty | 12 | 0 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 7 | 3 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 5 | 0 |
| Hearing impairment | 1 | 0 |
| Physical disability | 1 | 0 |
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.
| Name | Distance |
|
Twydall Primary School and Nursery
Twydall Lane, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 6JS |
0.15 miles |
|
Featherby Junior School
Chilham Road, Featherby Junior School, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 6BT |
0.47 miles |
|
Danecourt School
Hotel Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 6AA |
0.53 miles |
|
Featherby Infant and Nursery School
Allington Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 6PD |
0.55 miles |
|
Thames View Primary School
Bloors Lane, Rainham, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 7DX |
0.71 miles |
|
The Academy of Woodlands
Woodlands Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 2DU |
0.98 miles |
|
St Margaret's Church of England Junior School
Orchard Street, Rainham, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 9AE |
1.11 miles |
|
St Margaret's Infant School
St Margaret's Infant School, Orchard Street, Orchard Street, Rainham, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 9AE |
1.11 miles |
|
Barnsole Primary School
Barnsole Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 2JG |
1.4 miles |
|
Miers Court Primary School
Silverspot Close, Rainham, Kent, ME8 8JR |
1.44 miles |
|
Byron Primary School
Byron Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 5XX |
1.53 miles |
|
Napier Community Primary and Nursery Academy
Napier Community Primary and Nursery Academy, Napier Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 4HG |
1.54 miles |
|
Fairview Community Primary School
Drewery Drive, Wigmore, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 0NU |
1.55 miles |
|
Riverside Primary School
St Edmunds Way, Rainham, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 8ET |
1.61 miles |
|
Hempstead Infant School
Hempstead Road, Hempstead, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 3QG |
1.61 miles |
|
Parkwood Primary School
Deanwood Drive, Rainham, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 9LP |
1.67 miles |
|
Hempstead Junior School
Birch Grove, Hempstead, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 3HJ |
1.68 miles |
|
St Mary's Catholic Primary School
Greenfield Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 1YH |
1.7 miles |
|
Luton Primary School
Luton Road, Chatham, Kent, ME4 5AW |
1.7 miles |
|
Saxon Way Primary School
Ingram Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 1SJ |
1.72 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Rainham Mark Grammar School
Pump Lane, Rainham, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 7AJ |
0.54 miles |
|
The Howard School
Derwent Way, Rainham, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 0BX |
0.62 miles |
|
Rainham School for Girls
Derwent Way, Rainham, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 0BX |
0.69 miles |
|
The Robert Napier School
Third Avenue, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 2LX |
1.06 miles |
|
Chatham Grammar
Rainham Road, Chatham, Kent, ME5 7EH |
1.5 miles |
|
Alchemy School
105 Nelson Road, Gillingham, ME7 4LT |
1.51 miles |
|
Hospital and Medical Tuition Service
The School Room, Dolphin Ward, Gillingham, ME7 5NY |
1.82 miles |
|
Rivermead School
Forge Lane, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 1UG |
1.83 miles |
|
Leigh Academy Rainham
Otterham Quay Lane, Rainham, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 8GS |
1.88 miles |
|
Brompton Academy
Marlborough Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 5HT |
2.04 miles |
|
The Victory Academy
Magpie Hall Road, Chatham, Kent, ME4 5JB |
2.17 miles |
|
Waterfront UTC
South Side Three Road, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4FQ |
2.38 miles |
|
MidKent College
Medway Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 1FN |
2.39 miles |
|
Blue Skies School
126 Maidstone Road, Chatham, Kent, ME4 6DQ |
2.67 miles |
|
Bradfields Academy
Churchill Avenue, Chatham, Kent, ME5 0LB |
2.68 miles |
|
INSPIRE Free Special School
Churchill Avenue, Silverbank, Chatham, Kent, ME5 0LB |
2.68 miles |
|
Holcombe Grammar School
Holcombe, Maidstone Road, Chatham, Kent, ME4 6JB |
2.74 miles |
|
Greenacre School
157 Walderslade Road, Walderslade, Chatham, Kent, ME5 0LP |
2.81 miles |
|
Walderslade School
Bradfields Avenue, Walderslade, Chatham, Kent, ME5 0LE |
2.84 miles |
|
St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School
City Way, Rochester, Kent, ME1 2FA |
2.86 miles |
All schools in Gillingham · Medway local authority: places and applications
St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School is part of Kent Catholic Schools' Partnership, which runs 33 schools. The nearest others:
- St Michael Catholic Primary and Nursery School Chatham
- St Benedict's Catholic Primary School Chatham
- St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School Chatham
- St William of Perth Roman Catholic Primary School Rochester
- English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School Rochester
- St Peter's Catholic Primary School Sittingbourne
- St Francis' Catholic Primary School, Maidstone Maidstone
- St Simon Stock Catholic School Maidstone
- More Park Catholic Primary School West Malling
- St Edward's Catholic Primary School Sheerness
What is St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School is Good, from an inspection in June 2023 of its predecessor, St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School.
When was St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?
St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School was last inspected in October 2024.
How many pupils does St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School have?
St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School has 237 pupils on roll.
What age range does St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School cover?
St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.
Where is St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School?
St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School is at Romany Road, Rainham, Romany Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 6JH.