St Nicholas CEVC Primary School, Rochester

Outstanding
Primary
Voluntary controlled school
Mixed
Church of England
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~406m)Possible (~580m)Unlikely (~754m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Katie Forghani-Ashrafi
Pupils:156 / 180 capacity
LA:Medway
Phone:01634717120
Address:London Road, Rochester, ME2 3HU
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Requires Improvement

Quality of Education

Good

Behaviour & Attitudes

Good

Personal Development

Requires Improvement

Leadership & Management

Good

Early Years

Inspected 17 June 2025View full report
URN:118643
UKPRN:10079669
Diocese:Diocese of Rochester
Constituency:Rochester and Strood
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Pupils are happy and eager to come to school, benefiting from a calm, orderly environment where behaviour is excellent. The school excels at teaching early reading through skilled phonics delivery and provides strong pastoral care that helps pupils feel safe. Staff genuinely care about developing well-rounded individuals who understand the importance of kindness and respect.

Key Strengths

  • Early years curriculum is well-planned and ambitious with high expectations for children
  • Reading is prioritised effectively with skilled phonics teaching and regular progress checks
  • Pupils behave well and feel safe, with strong pastoral support and positive attitudes to learning
  • School values are well-understood and underpin high expectations for behaviour

Areas for Improvement

  • Curriculum in key stages 1 and 2 is not ambitious enough, with some pupils given work that is too easy
  • Assessment strategies do not effectively identify misconceptions, so pupils repeat the same mistakes
  • Support for pupils with SEND is not consistently adapted to their specific needs
  • School leaders lack sufficient oversight of weaker areas and do not have accurate understanding of curriculum effectiveness

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective with clear processes in place to keep pupils safe and well-supported.

Extracurricular Activities

Broad range of clubs, trim trail activities, ball games, before- and after-school club

St Nicholas CEVC Primary School is a voluntary controlled primary school in Medway that has declined from its previous outstanding rating. The school now requires improvement in the quality of education and leadership, though early years provision and pupil behaviour remain good.

At a Glance

26.9%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

34 responses
Would recommend65%
Child is happy91%
Well taught82%
Good progress65%
Feels safe77%
Well behaved59%
Bullying dealt with21%
Kept informed71%
Handles concerns47%
Wider development65%

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

Class Sizes

29.6

Avg class size

29.7

Infant (KS1)

29.5

KS2

5

Total classes

1 class with more than 30 pupils

1 unlawfully large infant class

2024/25 academic year

Latest from St Nicholas CEVC Primary School

From St Nicholas CEVC Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.

Getting There

Train Stations

Strood Rail Station
768m · 12 min walk

Bus Stops

Downside (opp)
49m · 1 min walk
Commercial Road (Stop G)
281m · 5 min walk
The Coach and Horses (opp)
365m · 6 min walk
Sports Centre (o/s)
369m · 6 min walk
High Street (Stop A)
388m · 6 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

87%

Available places

156 pupils

180 capacity

24 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Rochester

Medium pressure
New homes approved:2,108
Projected new pupils:527

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Rochester

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(5)

17 June 2025
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
Early YearsGood
22 January 2013
OutstandingReport
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding
7 January 2011

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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

4.40109%

Overall absence

12%

Persistent absence

125

Enrolments

Authorised3.51463%
Unauthorised0.88645%
Persistent (10%+)12%
Severe (50%+)1.6%

Absence trend

3.48736%
18/19
3.55643%
20/21
6.20181%
21/22
5.39983%
22/23
5.34761%
23/24
4.40109%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

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