St Nicholas CEVC Primary School, Rochester
St Nicholas CEVC Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Rochester. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2025 did not change this grade. It was 71% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2013)
- 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 Medway (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Nicholas CEVC Primary School in detail
St Nicholas CEVC Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: ""With faith as small as a mustard seed we become STARs - nothing is impossible." Just as the mustard seed grows from the smallest seed into the greatest of trees, we believe that every child at St Nicholas holds the potential to grow, shine, and flourish into something truly wonderful."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include dance, gardening and art.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at St Nicholas CEVC Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 18 families put St Nicholas CEVC Primary School as their first choice and 70 named it as one of their preferences, for 22 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 St Nicholas CEVC Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Nicholas CEVC Primary School are Gordons Children's Academy, Infant (0.2 miles, Good); Gordons Children's Academy, Junior (0.2 miles, Good, 83% reading, 75% maths); All Faiths Children's Academy (0.2 miles, Good, 71% reading, 74% maths); and Elaine Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 77% reading, 74% maths).
Gordons Children's Academy, InfantGordons Children's Academy, JuniorAll Faiths Children's AcademyElaine Primary School
What parents say
34 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Nicholas CEVC Primary School (as of September 2025): 65% would recommend the school, 91% say their child is happy there and 41% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (91%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (41%).
Staffing
St Nicholas CEVC Primary School had 10 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 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 770 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Downside (opposite), 50 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Nicholas CEVC Primary School issued 11 suspensions, 7.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Nicholas CEVC Primary School are Maritime Academy (1 mile) and Leigh Academy Strood (1 mile).
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from January 2013, 13 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
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 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
26.0
Avg class size
26.7
Infant (KS1)
25.3
KS2
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Nicholas CEVC Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Nicholas CEVC Primary School.
- MFSE320m away · Not yet graded
- Little Larges Day Nursery After School Club980m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Nicholas CEVC Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Nicholas CEVC Primary School 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
- 118
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 25
- Children hurt
- 20
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 118 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 25 serious and 93 slight.
20 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 7 on foot, 3 on a bicycle and 10 in a vehicle or otherwise.
18 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 St Nicholas CEVC Primary School
Will you get a place at St Nicholas CEVC Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Nicholas CEVC Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Nicholas CEVC Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Nicholas CEVC Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Medway, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Nicholas CEVC Primary School 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
71%
Available places
149 pupils
210 places
61 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(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
22
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
17.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
156
Total Pupils
74
Boys
82
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
15.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,823
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,559
Per pupil
£1056k
Total funding
£55k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.4%
Overall absence
12.0%
Persistent absence
125
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
St Nicholas CEVC Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Nicholas CEVC Primary School
What is St Nicholas CEVC Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Nicholas CEVC Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2013, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for St Nicholas CEVC Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Nicholas CEVC Primary School is oversubscribed, Medway allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Nicholas CEVC Primary School?
St Nicholas CEVC Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 71% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at St Nicholas CEVC Primary School?
Classes at St Nicholas CEVC Primary School average 26 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Nicholas CEVC Primary School?
St Nicholas CEVC Primary School has around 156 pupils on roll. 27% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Nicholas CEVC Primary School?
4.4% of sessions were missed at St Nicholas CEVC Primary School in 2024/25. 12% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Nicholas CEVC Primary School?
Apply through Medway's coordinated admissions process, naming St Nicholas CEVC Primary School 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 St Nicholas CEVC Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of St Nicholas CEVC Primary School: MFSE (320m away, registered, not yet graded) and Little Larges Day Nursery After School Club (980m 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 St Nicholas CEVC Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 118 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 25 serious and 93 slight. 20 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 7 on foot, 3 on a bicycle and 10 in a vehicle or otherwise. 18 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 St Nicholas CEVC Primary School?
St Nicholas CEVC Primary School is at London Road, Rochester, Kent, ME2 3HU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)