St Mary's Island Church of England (Aided) Primary School

  • Primary
  • Local authority maintained
  • Ages 3 to 11
Ofsted: Good

Island Way West, St Mary's Island, Chatham, ME4 3STOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)

St Mary's Island Church of England (Aided) Primary School is a primary school in Chatham for ages 3 to 11. It is one of the 110 schools in Medway. It ranks 5th of 15 primary schools in Chatham. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in March 2014.

Ofsted inspection

Inspected 12 March 2014, report published 2 April 2014

Overall effectiveness
Good
Leadership and management
Good

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 November 2023

The school has an ambitious vision that 'only the best will do' for pupils. It has developed an effective curriculum from the nursery to Year 6, and most pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do well. Teachers use their subject knowledge to make the curriculum interesting and bring it to life. As one parent commented: 'Pupils love learning with their enthusiastic teachers.' Pupils behave well in lessons and around school. From nursery, they are taught the school's high expectations and consistent routines that enable everyone to concentrate and focus. Pupils say they learn to 'treat others as we would want to be treated ourselves'. They are kind and respectful towards each other, holding doors open and taking turns considerately. Pupils learn the school values of service, trust, respect, compassion, forgiveness, hope and thankfulness, which are placed firmly at the heart of school life. They enjoy their roles of responsibility, such as sports captains, reading buddies and school prefects. During worship time, pupils learn from examples of significant people and organisations where others are helped through putting the school's values into practice.

What the school should improve

  • In some areas of the curriculum, the school has not fully identified the knowledge and skills pupils must understand and remember. As a result, adults do not always teach what pupils most need to know. The school should continue to ensure that ongoing refinements to curriculum planning lead to vital knowledge being identified precisely and taught deliberately across all of the subjects that pupils will learn.
  • Assessment is not always used well enough to check pupils' understanding before moving on to new areas of learning. Consequently, some pupils develop gaps in their understanding, which hinders them from making connections between new and previous learning. The school should ensure that assessment is used consistently well across the curriculum, enabling gaps in pupils' learning to be identified and addressed promptly and learning to build well over time.

Exam results

SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25

87 pupils took the tests

Expected standard in reading, writing and maths71%

71%, 9 percentage points above the England average of 62%.

Higher standard in reading, writing and maths10%

10%, 2 percentage points above the England average of 8%.

Reading, average scaled score107

107, 1 above the England average of 106.

Maths, average scaled score107

107, 2 above the England average of 105.

Grammar, punctuation and spelling, average scaled score107

107, 2 above the England average of 105.

Pupil numbers and mix

663 pupils on roll, with places for 630

Eligible for free school meals9.8%

9.8%, 16.7 percentage points below the England average of 26.5%.

English as an additional language27.3%

27.3%, 5.7 percentage points above the England average of 21.6%.

Special educational needs support18.9%

18.9%, 4.1 percentage points above the England average of 14.8%.

Education, health and care plan1.7%

1.7%, 4.3 percentage points below the England average of 6%.

Schools near St Mary's Island Church of England (Aided) Primary School

SchoolDistanceOfstedResults
Chattenden Primary School0.9 milesOfsted: Good69% met the expected standard
Burnt Oak Primary School1 mileNo Ofsted inspectionNot published
Wainscott Primary School1 mileOfsted: Good48% met the expected standard
Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough1 mileOfsted: Good52% met the expected standard
Oasis Academy Skinner Street1 mileOfsted: Good52% met the expected standard

School details

School type
Voluntary aided school
Sector
Local authority maintained
Age range
3 to 11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England
Nursery classes
Yes
Headteacher
Mrs Sarah Prest
Address
Island Way West, St Mary's Island, Chatham, ME4 3ST
Local authority
Medway
URN
132056

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.