Barming Primary School, Maidstone
Barming Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Maidstone, part of Orchard Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in September 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 36th-highest of the 43 schools in Maidstone with published results, and 12,633rd of 14,452 across England. It was 98% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Kent (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Barming Primary School in detail
Barming Primary School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball and drama.
Coming up: an open day on Wednesday 18 November 2026 at 9.30am and an open day on Tuesday 1 December 2026 at 9.30am. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
Clubs (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils at Barming Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 59% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in Kent and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 53% in reading and 49% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Barming Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 59 families put Barming Primary School as their first choice and 118 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 2 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Barming Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Barming Primary School are Jubilee Primary School (0.7 miles, Outstanding, 87% reading, 87% maths); West Borough Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 67% reading, 62% maths); St Francis' Catholic Primary School, Maidstone (1.1 miles, Good, 63% reading, 63% maths); and St Francis' Catholic Primary School, Maidstone (1.1 miles).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Barming Primary School.
Jubilee Primary SchoolWest Borough Primary SchoolSt Francis' Catholic Primary School, MaidstoneSt Francis' Catholic Primary School, Maidstone
The trust
Barming Primary School is one of 2 schools run by Orchard Academy Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
105 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Barming Primary School (as of September 2025): 85% would recommend the school, 91% say their child is happy there and 47% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (91%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (47%).
Who goes there
In 2026, 33 pupils (6.9%) received SEN support and 7 (1.5%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
Barming Primary School had 26 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is East Farleigh Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Redstart (adjacent), 200 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Barming Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Barming Primary School issued 4 suspensions, 0.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Barming Primary School are St Simon Stock Catholic School (1.1 miles), Oakwood Park Grammar School (1.1 miles) and St Augustine Academy (1.2 miles).
St Simon Stock Catholic SchoolOakwood Park Grammar SchoolSt Augustine Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from May 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils love being part of this vibrant school where staff welcome them enthusiastically each day. Pupils are taught to treat everyone kindly as they carry out their roles of responsibility, such as being school councillors and house captains. They look forward to social times and the many choices of activities on offer. They enjoy playing with their friends in the mud kitchen, building shelters and competing at table tennis. Some pupils prefer to read a book quietly, crochet, or relax while colouring. As one parent put it: 'Barming Primary School is not only a school but a family and community.'
The school has high expectations for pupils' academic achievement. Pupils respect adults and strive to live up to their high hopes for them. Staff teach pupils how to care for their emotional well-being. Pupils feel safe and accepted, knowing there is always a trusted adult to talk to. They persevere when learning is challenging and practise new learning diligently. Pupils appreciate their morning 'well-being time', saying it helps them get ready for learning.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Leaders recognise that since the COVID-19 pandemic, pupils have not attained as well as they could by the end of key stage 2. Since this point, the school introduced a more ambitious curriculum. Now, pupils' learning builds more securely, in small steps, from Reception to Year 6. Staff identify any gaps in pupils' knowledge quickly and fill those gaps expertly. This has got pupils' learning back on track successfully. Pupils achieve well now. Their attendance has also improved. They enjoy coming to school and attend regularly.
From Ofsted's September 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its May 2019 inspection - up from Inadequate.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
21.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
105 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 53% to 64% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 49% to 59% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 51% to 81% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.6
Avg class size
29.5
Infant (KS1)
29.5
KS2
15
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Barming Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Barming Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Barming Primary School is in Kent; for families living there:
Apply to Kent for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 9
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 5 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Kent is 11 (the median across 711 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Barming Primary School
Will you get a place at Barming Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Barming Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Barming Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Barming Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Kent, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Barming Primary School for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Kent got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
98%
Near capacity
413 pupils
420 places
7 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Maidstone
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Maidstone
Across Kent council
Places available
18,893
Applications
16,593
Got 1st preference
89.7%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All primary applications across Kent council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
33
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
8.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
480
Total Pupils
253
Boys
227
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
26
Teachers
18.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,202
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,000
Per pupil
£2328k
Total funding
£158k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.3%
Overall absence
15.4%
Persistent absence
370
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Barming Primary School
Questions parents ask about Barming Primary School
What are SATs results like at Barming Primary School?
Of the pupils at Barming Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 64% reached the expected standard in reading and 59% did so in maths.
What is Barming Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Barming Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in September 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Barming Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Barming Primary School is oversubscribed, Kent allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Barming Primary School?
Barming Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Barming Primary School?
Classes at Barming Primary School average 29.6 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Barming Primary School?
Barming Primary School has around 480 pupils on roll. 22% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Barming Primary School?
5.3% of sessions were missed at Barming Primary School in 2024/25. 15.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Barming Primary School?
Apply through Kent's coordinated admissions process, naming Barming Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Barming Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 5 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Kent is 11 (the median across 711 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Barming Primary School?
Barming Primary School is at Belmont Close, Barming, Maidstone, Kent, ME16 9DY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)