Barnsole Primary School
Barnsole Road, Gillingham, ME7 2JGOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Barnsole Primary School is a primary school in Gillingham for ages 2 to 11. It is one of the 110 schools in Medway. It ranks 18th of 18 primary schools in Gillingham. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in February 2024.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 28 February 2024, report published 29 April 2024
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years provision
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 28 February 2024
Pupils are proud of their school. They enjoy being with their friends and say that school makes them feel happy, safe and valued. Pupils appreciate the opportunities that the school provides, such as being house captains and school councillors. Pupils enjoy taking part in forest school activities, where they sit around the firepit and listen to stories. There are trusting relationships between staff and pupils. For example, during 'mindfulness sessions', pupils learn how to keep mentally healthy by sharing their feelings and emotions. The school is a calm and orderly environment. Staff have high expectations and pupils behave well. The school aims for pupils to be resilient and have a lifelong curiosity about the world. There are high expectations for all pupils to do well. Pupils strive hard to meet these high expectations, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The trust and school have continued to keep improving the school through a period of significant staff turnover. Staffing is now stable, and this has led to faster improvements. Parents are very supportive and praise the many positive changes. They say their children have kind, caring and supportive teachers, who really care about their children's well-being and education.
What the school should improve
- Some older pupils have gaps in their writing skills. This makes it more difficult for them to write well across the curriculum. The school should continue taking swift action to rectify this by teachers providing focused support.
- In the early years, staff checks on what pupils know and can do are not always consistently effective. This means that children do not develop the knowledge and skills across all areas of learning as well as they could. The school needs to extend the knowledge and expertise of staff to ensure that children get the support needed.
Exam results
SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25
91 pupils took the tests
Pupil numbers and mix
609 pupils on roll, with places for 630
Schools near Barnsole Primary School
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Napier Community Primary and Nursery Academy | 0.2 miles | Ofsted: Good | 84% met the expected standard |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School | 0.4 miles | Ofsted: Good | 57% met the expected standard |
| The Academy of Woodlands | 0.5 miles | Ofsted judgements: Good | 69% met the expected standard |
| Byron Primary School | 0.5 miles | Ofsted judgements: Good | 51% met the expected standard |
| Saxon Way Primary School | 0.5 miles | Ofsted: Good | 62% met the expected standard |
School details
- School type
- Academy converter
- Sector
- Academy
- Trust
- MARITIME ACADEMY TRUST
- Age range
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Nursery classes
- Yes
- Headteacher
- Mr Jonathan Smales
- Phone
- 01634333400
- Address
- Barnsole Road, Gillingham, ME7 2JG
- Local authority
- Medway
- URN
- 144423
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.