St Helens Montessori School
Lower Road, East Farleigh, Maidstone, ME15 0JTOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
St Helens Montessori School is a primary school in Maidstone for ages 2 to 12. It is one of the 692 schools in Kent. Its latest Ofsted rating is Outstanding, from an inspection in April 2024.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 23 April 2024, report published 10 June 2024
- Overall effectiveness
- Outstanding
- Quality of education
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Early years provision
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 23 April 2024
Pupils at St Helens Montessori School are exceptionally happy. The small size of the school ensures that every pupil is known as an individual. Pupils take a full and active role in the life of the school. They take pride in the meaningful role they play in school life. This begins right from the start of Nursery, where children learn to feed and care for the chickens and collect their eggs. The youngest children delight in bathing and brushing 'Bob', the school's bearded dragon. Pupils are extremely thoughtful in the way that they conduct themselves. Older pupils care for younger children. Alongside staff, they model the polite and respectful attitudes that permeate the school. Each morning, the school comes together for assembly, which is led by pupils. Within assemblies, all pupils develop the confidence to share their own thoughts, ideas and prayers. Pupils know that what matters to them, matters to school staff. From the moment children join Nursery, they become fully immersed in their own learning. As they progress through the school, pupils demonstrate highly positive attitudes to their learning. They are excited to learn and do not waste a minute of their school day. Pupils attend well, as their experience of school is highly positive. As a result, all pupils meet the high academic expectations that the school has of them.
Pupil numbers and mix
45 pupils on roll, with places for 130
Schools near St Helens Montessori School
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Farleigh Primary School | 0.8 miles | Report card: Needs attention to strong standard | 63% met the expected standard |
| Barming Primary School | 0.8 miles | Ofsted judgements: Good | 48% met the expected standard |
| Jubilee Primary School | 1 mile | Report card: Expected standard to strong standard | 81% met the expected standard |
| West Borough Primary School | 1 mile | Ofsted: Good | 47% met the expected standard |
| St Francis' Catholic Primary School, Maidstone | 2 miles | No Ofsted inspection | Not published |
School details
- School type
- Other independent school
- Sector
- Independent
- Age range
- 2 to 12
- Gender
- Mixed
- Nursery classes
- Yes
- Headteacher
- Miss Jeannelle Dening-Smitherman
- Phone
- 01622721731
- Address
- Lower Road, East Farleigh, Maidstone, ME15 0JT
- Local authority
- Kent
- URN
- 131567
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.