Gordons Children's Academy, Infant, Rochester
Gordons Children's Academy, Infant is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 7 in Rochester, part of The Thinking Schools Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2022. It was 74% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2022)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Medway (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Gordons Children's Academy, Infant in detail
Getting a place at Gordons Children's Academy, Infant
For September 2026 entry, 47 families put Gordons Children's Academy, Infant as their first choice and 104 named it as one of their preferences, for 49 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 Gordons Children's Academy, Infant
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Gordons Children's Academy, Infant are Gordons Children's Academy, Junior (under 0.1 miles, Good, 83% reading, 75% maths); St Nicholas CEVC Primary School (0.2 miles, Outstanding); All Faiths Children's Academy (0.3 miles, Good, 71% reading, 74% maths); and English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School (0.5 miles).
Gordons Children's Academy, JuniorSt Nicholas CEVC Primary SchoolAll Faiths Children's AcademyEnglish Martyrs' Catholic Primary School
The trust
Gordons Children's Academy, Infant is one of 26 schools run by The Thinking Schools Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 54% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
34.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (59%), Asian (14%) and Black (9%).
In 2026, 21 pupils (15.6%) received SEN support and 3 (2.2%) 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
Gordons Children's Academy, Infant had 9 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 Strood Rail Station, about 890 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Downside (opposite), 290 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
Gordons Children's Academy, Infant recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Gordons Children's Academy, Infant are Maritime Academy (0.9 miles) and Leigh Academy Strood (1 mile).
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; 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 agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its September 2022 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
19.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Gordons Children's Academy, Infant
Before and after school care
Gordons Children's Academy, Infant is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Medway
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Gordons Children's Academy, Infant.
- MFSE390m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Gordons Children's Academy, Infant from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Gordons Children's Academy, Infant 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
- 51
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 10
- Children hurt
- 9
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 51 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 10 serious and 41 slight.
9 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
5 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 Gordons Children's Academy, Infant
Will you get a place at Gordons Children's Academy, Infant? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Gordons Children's Academy, Infant's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Gordons Children's Academy, Infant:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Gordons Children's Academy, Infant.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Medway, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Gordons Children's Academy, Infant for 2014 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
74%
Available places
140 pupils
189 places
49 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
21
SEN Support
3
EHC Plans
17.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
135
Total Pupils
61
Boys
74
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
15.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£59,996
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,927
Per pupil
£963k
Total funding
£55k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.5%
Overall absence
18.3%
Persistent absence
115
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
Gordons Children's Academy, Infant
Questions parents ask about Gordons Children's Academy, Infant
What is Gordons Children's Academy, Infant's Ofsted rating?
Gordons Children's Academy, Infant was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2022.
What is the catchment area for Gordons Children's Academy, Infant?
No fixed boundary. When Gordons Children's Academy, Infant is oversubscribed, Medway allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Gordons Children's Academy, Infant?
Gordons Children's Academy, Infant was not full in 2025: it ran at 74% of its 189 places.
How many pupils go to Gordons Children's Academy, Infant?
Gordons Children's Academy, Infant has around 135 pupils on roll. 19% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Gordons Children's Academy, Infant?
5.5% of sessions were missed at Gordons Children's Academy, Infant in 2024/25. 18.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Gordons Children's Academy, Infant?
Apply through Medway's coordinated admissions process, naming Gordons Children's Academy, Infant 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 Gordons Children's Academy, Infant have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Gordons Children's Academy, Infant is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Gordons Children's Academy, Infant: MFSE (390m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Gordons Children's Academy, Infant?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 51 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 10 serious and 41 slight. 9 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 5 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 Gordons Children's Academy, Infant?
Gordons Children's Academy, Infant is at Gordon Road, Strood, Rochester, Kent, ME2 3HQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)