Bligh Primary School (Infants), Rochester
Bligh Primary School (Infants) is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 7 in Rochester, part of Maritime Academy Trust. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. It was 92% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Medway (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Bligh Primary School (Infants) in detail
Getting a place at Bligh Primary School (Infants)
For September 2026 entry, 69 families put Bligh Primary School (Infants) as their first choice and 143 named it as one of their preferences, for 74 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Bligh Primary School (Infants)
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Bligh Primary School (Infants) are Bligh Primary School (Juniors) (under 0.1 miles, Good, 71% reading, 64% maths); Elaine Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 77% reading, 74% maths); Cedar Children's Academy (0.7 miles, Good, 72% reading, 71% maths); and Gordons Children's Academy, Infant (1.1 miles, Good).
Bligh Primary School (Juniors)Elaine Primary SchoolCedar Children's AcademyGordons Children's Academy, Infant
The trust
Bligh Primary School (Infants) is one of 13 schools run by Maritime Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
44 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Bligh Primary School (Infants) (as of September 2025): 96% would recommend the school, 96% say their child is happy there and 78% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child does well at the school (98%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (78%).
Who goes there
25.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (57%), Black (15%) and Mixed (5%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Cuxton Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Bligh Way Shops (opposite), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 123 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Medway (250).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Bligh Primary School (Infants) issued 2 suspensions, 0.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from July 2015, 11 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 Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school creates a family-like environment where children thrive from their earliest days. Teachers are experts in helping young children learn to read and develop strong behavior, while the school places a strong emphasis on building character and independence. Parents value the strong partnership the school builds with families to support every child's success.
Key Strengths
- Excellent early years provision with careful monitoring of children's progress and development
- Strong teaching of reading with expert staff who quickly identify and support struggling readers
- Outstanding personal development with clear HEART values (honesty, empathy, achievement, resilience, teamwork) embedded throughout
- High-quality curriculum with consistent teaching approach and effective support for pupils with SEND
- Warm, calm and orderly environment where pupils behave well and relationships are positive
Areas for Improvement
- In subjects other than English and mathematics, the school doesn't always have a clear picture of what knowledge pupils have understood and retained
- Need to develop better systems for checking pupils' knowledge in other subjects so teachers can build on their learning and address gaps more effectively
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong systems in place and a positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Breakfast club, after-school club, peer mediator roles
Bligh Primary School (Infants) is a place of safety, celebration and opportunity where pupils flourish and are well prepared for their next stages of education. The school has an ambitious curriculum, high expectations, and outstanding personal development provision.
At a Glance
28.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
44 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
26.1
Avg class size
26.8
Infant (KS1)
11
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Bligh Primary School (Infants)
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Bligh Primary School (Infants).
- Little Larges Day Nursery After School Club980m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Bligh Primary School (Infants) from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Bligh Primary School (Infants) is in Medway; for families living there:
Apply to Medway for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 32
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 9
- Children hurt
- 8
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 32 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 9 serious and 23 slight.
8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 6 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
12 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 Medway is 25 (the median across 117 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 Bligh Primary School (Infants)
Will you get a place at Bligh Primary School (Infants)? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Bligh Primary School (Infants)'s admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Bligh Primary School (Infants):
- The straight-line distance from your home to Bligh Primary School (Infants).
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Medway, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Bligh Primary School (Infants) for 2018 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Medway 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
92%
Near capacity
249 pupils
270 places
21 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Rochester
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Rochester
Across Medway council
Places available
3,675
Applications
3,130
Got 1st preference
93.9%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Medway council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
40
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
17.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
303
Total Pupils
148
Boys
155
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
23.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,557
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,423
Per pupil
£1528k
Total funding
£76k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.2%
Overall absence
14.7%
Persistent absence
170
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
Bligh Primary School (Infants)
Questions parents ask about Bligh Primary School (Infants)
What is Bligh Primary School (Infants)'s Ofsted rating?
Bligh Primary School (Infants)'s most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2015, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Bligh Primary School (Infants)?
No fixed boundary. When Bligh Primary School (Infants) is oversubscribed, Medway allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Bligh Primary School (Infants)?
Bligh Primary School (Infants) was not full in 2025: it ran at 92% of its 270 places.
How big are the classes at Bligh Primary School (Infants)?
Classes at Bligh Primary School (Infants) average 26.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Bligh Primary School (Infants)?
Bligh Primary School (Infants) has around 303 pupils on roll. 28% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Bligh Primary School (Infants)?
6.2% of sessions were missed at Bligh Primary School (Infants) in 2024/25. 14.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Bligh Primary School (Infants)?
Apply through Medway's coordinated admissions process, naming Bligh Primary School (Infants) 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.
Does Bligh Primary School (Infants) have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Bligh Primary School (Infants): Little Larges Day Nursery After School Club (980m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Bligh Primary School (Infants)?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 32 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 9 serious and 23 slight. 8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 6 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 12 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 Medway is 25 (the median across 117 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Bligh Primary School (Infants)?
Bligh Primary School (Infants) is at Bligh Way, Strood, Rochester, Kent, ME2 2XJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)