Fairford Academy Barnehurst, Bexleyheath
Fairford Academy Barnehurst is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Bexleyheath, part of Illuminate Minds Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 9 schools in Bexleyheath with published results, and 9,595th of 14,452 across England. It was 77% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2017)
- 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 Bexley (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Fairford Academy Barnehurst in detail
Fairford Academy Barnehurst in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care, from £5.00 per session.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils at Fairford Academy Barnehurst reached the expected standard in reading and 73% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 76% in Bexley and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 83% in reading and 79% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Fairford Academy Barnehurst
For September 2026 entry, 22 families put Fairford Academy Barnehurst as their first choice and 58 named it as one of their preferences, for 27 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 Fairford Academy Barnehurst
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Fairford Academy Barnehurst are Barnehurst Infant School (0.4 miles, Outstanding); Peareswood Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 85% reading, 85% maths); Barnehurst Junior School (0.5 miles, Outstanding, 78% reading, 68% maths); and Christ Church (Erith) CofE Primary School (0.6 miles, Outstanding, 74% reading, 74% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Fairford Academy Barnehurst.
Barnehurst Infant SchoolPeareswood Primary SchoolBarnehurst Junior SchoolChrist Church (Erith) CofE Primary School
The trust
Fairford Academy Barnehurst is one of 2 schools run by Illuminate Minds Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
38.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 31% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (51%), Black (14%) and Asian (9%).
In 2026, 106 pupils (23.5%) received SEN support and 18 (4%) 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.
Fairford Academy Barnehurst has a resourced provision for autism and social, emotional and mental health needs: 40 places, 0 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Barnehurst Rail Station, about 970 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Colyers Walk (->w), 240 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Fairford Academy Barnehurst issued 18 suspensions, 3.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Fairford Academy Barnehurst are Leigh Academy Bexley (0.4 miles), Haberdashers' Crayford Academy (1.1 miles), St Catherine's Catholic School (1.2 miles) and St Columba's Catholic Boys' School (1.4 miles).
Leigh Academy BexleyHaberdashers' Crayford AcademySt Catherine's Catholic SchoolSt Columba's Catholic Boys' School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); 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 · 4 years agoThis judgement is from November 2017, 8 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2017 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Outstanding for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
38.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Autism, SEMH
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 83% to 71% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 79% to 73% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 79% to 73% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.8
Avg class size
23.2
Infant (KS1)
26.4
KS2
16
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Fairford Academy Barnehurst
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Fairford Academy Barnehurst.
- Progressions Tuition Centre780m away · Not yet graded
- Kumon Erith Ltd910m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Fairford Academy Barnehurst from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Fairford Academy Barnehurst is in Bexley; for families living there:
Apply to Bexley for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 18
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 18 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 15 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
9 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 Bexley is 28.5 (the median across 92 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 Fairford Academy Barnehurst
Will you get a place at Fairford Academy Barnehurst? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Fairford Academy Barnehurst's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Fairford Academy Barnehurst:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Fairford Academy Barnehurst.
- Bexley publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Fairford Academy Barnehurst that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Fairford Academy Barnehurst for 2016 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Bexley 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
77%
Available places
482 pupils
630 places
148 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Bexleyheath
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bexleyheath
Across Bexley council
Places available
3,221
Applications
2,637
Got 1st preference
91.4%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All primary applications across Bexley council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
106
SEN Support
18
EHC Plans
27.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Fairford Academy Barnehurst has a resourced provision for autism and social, emotional and mental health needs: 40 places, 0 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
452
Total Pupils
250
Boys
202
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
25
Teachers
18.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,985
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,084
Per pupil
£3447k
Total funding
£280k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.8%
Overall absence
16.9%
Persistent absence
479
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
Questions parents ask about Fairford Academy Barnehurst
What are SATs results like at Fairford Academy Barnehurst?
Of the pupils at Fairford Academy Barnehurst who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 71% reached the expected standard in reading and 73% did so in maths.
What is Fairford Academy Barnehurst's Ofsted rating?
Fairford Academy Barnehurst's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Fairford Academy Barnehurst?
No fixed boundary. When Fairford Academy Barnehurst is oversubscribed, Bexley allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Fairford Academy Barnehurst?
Fairford Academy Barnehurst was not full in 2025: it ran at 77% of its 630 places.
How big are the classes at Fairford Academy Barnehurst?
Classes at Fairford Academy Barnehurst average 24.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Fairford Academy Barnehurst?
Fairford Academy Barnehurst has around 452 pupils on roll. 39% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Fairford Academy Barnehurst have specialist SEN provision?
Fairford Academy Barnehurst has a resourced provision for autism and social, emotional and mental health needs: 40 places, 0 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Fairford Academy Barnehurst?
5.8% of sessions were missed at Fairford Academy Barnehurst in 2024/25. 16.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Fairford Academy Barnehurst?
Apply through Bexley's coordinated admissions process, naming Fairford Academy Barnehurst 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 Fairford Academy Barnehurst have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Fairford Academy Barnehurst: Progressions Tuition Centre (780m away, registered, not yet graded) and Kumon Erith Ltd (910m 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 Fairford Academy Barnehurst?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 18 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 15 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 9 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 Bexley is 28.5 (the median across 92 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Fairford Academy Barnehurst?
Fairford Academy Barnehurst is at Fairford Avenue, Barnehurst, Bexleyheath, Kent, DA7 6QP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)