School Chooser

Burham Church of England Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedChurch of England179 pupilsRochesterKent
School Chooser Score
58
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 30 to 81, so it could be “above”
Out of 100. Better than 57% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, June 2024
Reached the expected level at 1170%England 63%
Attendance95.0%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families15%Far fewer than most schools
Places17 spare179 pupils, 196 places
Pupils per teacher19.9School workforce census

Burham Church of England Primary School is a Church of England school (voluntary controlled) in Rochester for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 179 pupils and room for 196. About 14 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 58 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 57% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Bell Lane, Burham, Rochester, ME1 3SY01634 861691burham.kent.sch.ukMrs Holly Goddon headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 26 June 2024 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

23 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1170%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level9%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score107.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score105.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 88%88%20172018: 87%87%20182019: 74%74%20192023: 45%45%20232024: 63%63%20242025: 70%70%2025
Since 2017: -18%Improving overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017KentEngland
Pupils tested232721231517
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths70%63%45%74%87%88%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths9%0%0%17%0%0%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score107.0105.0106.0107.0108.0106.0105.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score105.0105.0104.0108.0105.0106.0104.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score102.0100.0102.0105.0105.0104.0104.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard91%78%76%87%93%94%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard87%78%81%74%87%94%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)70%70%65%87%100%88%
Reading progressReading progress score-0.5+1.9+2.8+2.2
Maths progressMaths progress score-0.5-1.9+0.5+2.0
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged57%67%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged81%100%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
70%69%
Gap 1 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

A few spare places169 pupils for 196 places, 2024/25
86% full

About 27 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have grown by 13% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Kent council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll179Census January 2026
Places19691% full
Pupils from low-income families15%15% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support15%27 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%2 pupils with a plan
Average class size24.86 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)14%£38,750 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls93 / 86
White British pupils86%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 24.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 25.7 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (10), Autistic spectrum disorder (7), language and communications needs (6), Moderate learning difficulty (3), Specific learning difficulty (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll179167158144155149
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals15%14%13%8%8%7%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language4%6%10%5%8%8%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support14%13%19%16%14%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans1%0%0%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.0%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school11.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils2.42024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.0%5.1%6.5%5.6%3.3%4.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.8%4.0%4.8%4.6%2.6%2.7%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.2%1.2%1.6%1.0%0.7%1.8%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence11.1%13.6%18.5%14.6%9.8%11.5%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate2.43.80.70.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers9.0full-time equivalent, 9 people
Pupils per teacher19.9Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers89%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants5.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£44,552
Teachers who left in the year11%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher8.22024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£6,035England £7,738. Total £1.0m
Income per pupil£5,920England £7,697. Total £989k
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,878England £3,480
Money in reserve0%Very little put by: £4,239, £25 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£19kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£6,035spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m5912 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate63 per 1,000 people31% lower than the England average
Typical house price£415,000Tonbridge and Malling
Nearest bus stop140 mBell Lane, 6 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St Mark's Church of England Primary School, EcclesAcademy0.6 miles109Good 202239Compare
Wouldham, All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolChurch of England1.4 miles388Good 202313Compare
Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough LakesAcademy1.7 miles234No overall grade 202594Compare
St Peter's Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England1.7 miles209No overall grade 202463Compare
Halling Primary SchoolAcademy1.7 miles391Good 202352Compare
Tunbury Primary SchoolCouncil1.8 miles501Good 202331Compare
Horsted Infant SchoolAcademy1.9 milesNot inspectedCompare
Horsted Junior SchoolAcademy1.9 milesNot inspectedCompare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Burham Church of England Primary School with the 49 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats57%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 58 is 6 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 5 · middle 52 · highest 99100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 49 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Burham Church of England Primary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Kemsing Primary SchoolCouncil11.0 miles194Good 202285Compare
Smarden Primary SchoolAcademy15.4 miles172Good 202376Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 58 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 58% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 30 to 81. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%in line
+0.02
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 23 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 2.2 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.08
DfE progress measure; 23 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well above
+0.13
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
+0.02
2024/25; 144 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
-0.02
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 23 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Burham Church of England Primary School a good school?

It is about average. Burham Church of England Primary School scores 58 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 57% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 30 to 81, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been getting better over the last five years.

What is Burham Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Burham Church of England Primary School good at its last full inspection on 26 June 2024.

How good are Burham Church of England Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 70% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 9% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Burham Church of England Primary School have?

179 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 196 places, so it is 91% full.

Is Burham Church of England Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 27 places were empty in 2024/25 (14% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Burham Church of England Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 11% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Burham Church of England Primary School?

The average class had 24.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Bell Lane, Burham, Rochester, ME1 3SY
Telephone
01634 861691
Website
www.burham.kent.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Holly Goddon
Type of school
Church of England school (voluntary controlled) (Voluntary controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Rochester
Local authority
Kent
Ward
Aylesford North & North Downs
Constituency
Chatham and Aylesford
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
118620 · LAESTAB 8863062 · UKPRN 10069115

Where these figures come from