Gordons Children's Academy, Infant
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Gordons Children's Academy, Infant is a sponsored academy in Rochester for boys and girls aged 5 to 7. It has 135 pupils and room for 189. About 19 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 32 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 21% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.
Gordon Road, Strood, Rochester, ME2 3HQ0333 360 2110gordonchildrensacademy.org.ukMrs Nicola Youseman headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 27 September 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Results
No published results yet for this school.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
49 places were empty (26% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 11% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.
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 Medway 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.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (18), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (2), Moderate learning difficulty (1), Specific learning difficulty (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 135 | 143 | 163 | 164 | 156 | 151 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 19% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 19% | 16% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 34% | 25% | 25% | 26% | 24% | 21% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 17% | 15% | 12% | 6% | 6% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 1% | 1% | 0% | 1% | 1% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 5.5% | 4.3% | 5.1% | 4.7% | 3.8% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 3.5% | 2.8% | 3.0% | 2.9% | 2.8% | 2.6% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.1% | 1.5% | 2.1% | 1.8% | 1.0% | 2.0% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 18.3% | 9.0% | 11.2% | 11.1% | 9.4% | 12.4% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 0.0 | 6.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
Staff
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025.
The area around the school
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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gordons Children's Academy, Junior | Academy | 0 m | 263 | Good 2022 | 45 | Compare |
| St Nicholas CEVC Primary School | Church of England | 280 m | 156 | No overall grade 2025 | 11 | Compare |
| All Faiths Children's Academy | Academy | 410 m | 225 | Good 2020 | 26 | Compare |
| English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School | Academy | 870 m | 202 | Good 2023 | 72 | Compare |
| Elaine Primary School | Academy | 950 m | 270 | Good 2022 | 45 | Compare |
| Temple Mill Primary School | Academy | 980 m | 237 | Good 2024 | 44 | Compare |
| Hilltop Primary School | Academy | 0.7 miles | 445 | Good 2022 | 45 | Compare |
| Cedar Children's Academy | Academy | 0.8 miles | 627 | Not inspected | 29 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Gordons Children's Academy, Infant with the 47 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 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 32 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 32% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 14 to 61. 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 at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 0% | no data | – | |
| Ofsted inspection | 18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 4.0 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 0% | no data | – | |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | below | -0.14 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | below | -0.10 | 2024/25; 115 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 0% | no data | – | |
| What parents say | 0% | 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 Gordons Children's Academy, Infant a good school?
The figures are weak. Gordons Children's Academy, Infant scores 32 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 21% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 14 to 61, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.
What is Gordons Children's Academy, Infant's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Gordons Children's Academy, Infant good at its last full inspection on 27 September 2022.
How many pupils does Gordons Children's Academy, Infant have?
135 pupils aged 5 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 189 places, so it is 71% full.
Is Gordons Children's Academy, Infant oversubscribed?
Probably not. 49 places were empty in 2024/25 (26% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Gordons Children's Academy, Infant?
Pupils were in school 94.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 18% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does Gordons Children's Academy, Infant have a breakfast club?
Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Gordon Road, Strood, Rochester, ME2 3HQ
- Telephone
- 0333 360 2110
- Website
- www.gordonchildrensacademy.org.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Nicola Youseman
- Free breakfast club
- Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
- Type of school
- Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 5-7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- The Thinking Schools Academy Trust (26 schools)
- Local authority
- Medway
- Ward
- Strood North & Frindsbury
- Constituency
- Rochester and Strood
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 March 2014 (new provision)
- URN
- 140607 · LAESTAB 8872010 · UKPRN 10044932
- Formerly
- Gordon Infant School
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Breakfast club: DfE list of schools on the free breakfast club programme.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.