New Horizons Children's Academy, Chatham
New Horizons Children's Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Chatham, part of The Thinking Schools Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 13th-highest of the 17 schools in Chatham with published results, and 9,982nd of 14,452 across England. It was 98% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2017)
- 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
New Horizons Children's Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils at New Horizons Children's Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 71% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 72% in Medway and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 77% in reading and 77% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at New Horizons Children's Academy
For September 2026 entry, 53 families put New Horizons Children's Academy as their first choice and 131 named it as one of their preferences, for 54 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 New Horizons Children's Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to New Horizons Children's Academy are Wayfield Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 56% reading, 50% maths); Balfour Infant School (0.5 miles, Good); Greenvale Primary School (0.6 miles, Good); and Balfour Junior School (0.6 miles, Good, 79% reading, 84% maths).
New Horizons Children's Academy's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 2 schools.
Wayfield Primary SchoolBalfour Infant SchoolGreenvale Primary SchoolBalfour Junior School
The trust
New Horizons Children's Academy 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
25.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (46%), Black (20%) and Mixed (10%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Chatham Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Huntsmans Corner (se-bound), 140 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood New Horizons Children's Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 444 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Medway (250), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, New Horizons Children's Academy issued 28 suspensions, 4.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to New Horizons Children's Academy are Holcombe Grammar School (0.1 miles), The Victory Academy (0.6 miles), The Thomas Aveling School (0.8 miles) and PGW Partnership of Greenacre and Walderslade (0.9 miles).
Holcombe Grammar SchoolThe Victory AcademyThe Thomas Aveling SchoolPGW Partnership of Greenacre and Walderslade
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); 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; 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 · 4 years agoThis judgement is from May 2017, 9 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 May 2017 inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
22.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 77% to 71% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 77% to 71% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 72% to 35% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.0
Avg class size
28.9
Infant (KS1)
30.3
KS2
21
Total classes
6 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with New Horizons Children's Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near New Horizons Children's Academy.
- MFSE740m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to New Horizons Children's Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. New Horizons Children's Academy 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
- 45
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 8
- Children hurt
- 8
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 45 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 8 serious and 36 slight.
8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 5 in a vehicle or otherwise.
11 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 New Horizons Children's Academy
Will you get a place at New Horizons Children's Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against New Horizons Children's Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for New Horizons Children's Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to New Horizons Children's Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Medway, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at New Horizons Children's Academy 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
98%
Near capacity
620 pupils
630 places
10 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Chatham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Chatham
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
93
SEN Support
26
EHC Plans
19.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
618
Total Pupils
297
Boys
321
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
26
Teachers
23.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,360
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,991
Per pupil
£3420k
Total funding
£191k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.3%
Overall absence
15.0%
Persistent absence
568
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 New Horizons Children's Academy
What are SATs results like at New Horizons Children's Academy?
Of the pupils at New Horizons Children's Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 71% reached the expected standard in reading and 71% did so in maths.
What is New Horizons Children's Academy's Ofsted rating?
New Horizons Children's Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for New Horizons Children's Academy?
No fixed boundary. When New Horizons Children's Academy is oversubscribed, Medway allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at New Horizons Children's Academy?
New Horizons Children's Academy was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at New Horizons Children's Academy?
Classes at New Horizons Children's Academy average 29 pupils (2025/26). 6 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to New Horizons Children's Academy?
New Horizons Children's Academy has around 618 pupils on roll. 22% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at New Horizons Children's Academy?
5.3% of sessions were missed at New Horizons Children's Academy in 2024/25. 15% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to New Horizons Children's Academy?
Apply through Medway's coordinated admissions process, naming New Horizons Children's Academy 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 New Horizons Children's Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of New Horizons Children's Academy: MFSE (740m 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 New Horizons Children's Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 45 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 8 serious and 36 slight. 8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 5 in a vehicle or otherwise. 11 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 New Horizons Children's Academy?
New Horizons Children's Academy is at Park Crescent, Chatham, Kent, ME4 6NR.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)