Saxon Way Primary School, Gillingham

Good
Primary
Academy sponsor led
Mixed
Ages 311

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~338m)Possible (~483m)Unlikely (~628m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Jennifer Vidler-Ironmonger
Pupils:396 / 420 capacity
LA:Medway
Phone:01634336720
Address:Ingram Road, Gillingham, ME7 1SJ
Trust:THE GRIFFIN SCHOOLS TRUST
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 September 2013

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Inspected 10 June 2025View full report
URN:139928
UKPRN:10042702
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Gillingham and Rainham
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Saxon Way Primary School excels at building strong relationships with families and creating a welcoming environment where children are excited to learn. The school has a particular strength in teaching reading through a sharp focus on phonics from Nursery, ensuring every child keeps up with targeted support. Beyond academics, the school offers an impressive range of enrichment activities and community links that broaden pupils' horizons and help them develop into confident, well-rounded learners.

Key Strengths

  • Strong focus on teaching phonics from Nursery onwards, ensuring children become confident and fluent readers with targeted support for those who need it
  • Well-sequenced curriculum designed to inspire learning for all pupils, with effective adaptations and support for those with SEND
  • Extensive wider curriculum opportunities including subject festivals, trips, visitors, and clubs that reinforce learning and promote future aspirations
  • Calm behaviour around the school underpinned by clear expectations and explicit teaching of school values
  • Robust attendance tracking and strategies that have led to significant improvements, including for the most disadvantaged pupils

Areas for Improvement

  • Teachers' methods for checking what pupils understand during and after lessons are not consistent, meaning some pupils finish lessons with gaps or misconceptions
  • In some subjects, the most important knowledge that pupils need to learn has not been clearly identified, affecting how well pupils with SEND build on their learning
  • Need for a more consistent approach to identifying and revisiting key knowledge and concepts across all subjects

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with pupils feeling safe and understanding how to access trusted adults if worried.

Extracurricular Activities

Science symposium, arts festival, subject festivals, extensive range of clubs, trips, visitors including local football team, head boy and head girl roles, curriculum ambassador roles, before-school club

Saxon Way Primary School is a welcoming primary school where pupils are happy and excited to learn, achieving well through a curriculum built on the pillars of proud traditions, wide horizons, and high achievement. The school has maintained its good standards since the previous inspection.

At a Glance

40.1%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

70 responses
Would recommend61%
Child is happy73%
Well taught73%
Good progress70%
Feels safe73%
Well behaved56%
Bullying dealt with24%
Kept informed76%
Handles concerns47%
Wider development64%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-3ppMaths+1ppWriting-1pp

Reading has remained stable at around 64%. Maths has remained stable at around 68%. Writing has remained stable at around 71%.

Class Sizes

26.4

Avg class size

26.5

Infant (KS1)

29.8

KS2

16

Total classes

1 class with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Gillingham (Kent) Rail Station
807m · 13 min walk

Bus Stops

Gillingham Green (opp)
53m · 1 min walk
Elm Road (opp)
122m · 2 min walk
Church Street Shops (opp)
242m · 4 min walk
Castlemaine Avenue (opp)
293m · 5 min walk
Springfield Road (adj)
338m · 5 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

94%

Near capacity

396 pupils

420 capacity

24 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Gillingham

Medium pressure
New homes approved:1,897
Projected new pupils:474

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Gillingham

Admissions Demand - Medway

Low demand0.83x oversubscription

Places available

3,805

Applications

3,151

Got 1st preference

95.6%

Got preferred school

99.4%

Primary admissions across Medway (2025/26)

Inspection History(4)

10 June 2025
21 January 2020
8 June 2016
Leadership & ManagementGood

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

6.84202%

Overall absence

22.22222%

Persistent absence

387

Enrolments

Authorised4.12083%
Unauthorised2.72119%
Persistent (10%+)22.22222%
Severe (50%+)2.06718%

Absence trend

5.67449%
18/19
4.82017%
20/21
8.0816%
21/22
7.72626%
22/23
6.84754%
23/24
6.84202%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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