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The Pilgrim School (A Church of England Primary With Nursery)

Primary · Rochester · ME1 3LF

Data updated

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Outstanding

SchoolFacts estimate: Ofsted awarded no overall grade at this inspection

We show the lowest of the four areas Ofsted did judge, listed below. Why some schools have no overall grade →

Quality of education: OutstandingBehaviour & attitudes: OutstandingPersonal development: OutstandingLeadership & management: OutstandingSafeguarding effective: Yes

Inspected 7 January 2025

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

237 pupils · 113% of 210 capacity (over capacity) (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
3–11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England
Free school meals
17.9% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
8.2% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
20.6% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
2.3% of pupils (2024/2025)
Nursery
Yes
Website
www.thepilgrimschool.co.uk
URN
143832

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 53 families named it first for 30 Reception places, 1.77 first choices per place. We hold one Reception admissions round for it, 2025 entry, and it was not decided by a published distance. At its inspection on 7 January 2025 Ofsted awarded no overall grade; the lowest of the four areas it judged was Outstanding. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 4.9% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Reception entry, September 2026

1.77 first-choice applications per place

30 places offered · 53 first-choice applications · heavily oversubscribed

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures.

Admissions cutoff distance: Reception

Cutoff by admission criterion (2025 entry)

Criterion not stated
442.82 m (≈0.28 mi)

Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

Key stage 2 results (2024/2025)

30 pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2024/2025

Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths
83%
England 62%
Reaching the higher standard
10%
England 8%
Average scaled score (reading)
111
England 106
Average scaled score (maths)
110
England 105

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, 2024/2025

This school83%
Median of its 12 closest peers64%
Medway average61.6%
England62%

On meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, this school is ahead of the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedResult
Pilton Bluecoat Church of England AcademyBarnstaple · 198 miles awayGood63%
The Elms Primary SchoolFaringdon · 91 miles awayGood61%
All Souls Church of England Primary SchoolHeywood · 191 miles awayOutstanding87%
Alverthorpe St Paul's CofE (VA) School 3-11yrsWakefield · 181 miles awayGood69%
Fatfield AcademyWashington · 256 miles awayGood74%
Penwortham Broad Oak Primary SchoolPreston · 212 miles awayExpected standard73%
Rackheath Primary SchoolNorwich · 97 miles awayOutstanding63%
The John Harrox Primary School, MoultonSpalding · 101 miles awayGood65%
Yapton CE Primary SchoolArundel · 61 miles awayGood45%
Caistor CofE and Methodist Primary SchoolMarket Rasen · 150 miles awayGood57%
St Oswald's Catholic Primary SchoolWigan · 197 miles awayGood52%
Wigan St Andrew's CofE Junior and Infant SchoolWigan · 200 miles awayNeeds attention67%

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 63% (Medway 61%, England 60%) · Black African 8% (Medway 12%, England 5%) · Any other White background 6% (Medway 7%, England 7%) · Mixed White and Asian 5% (Medway 2%, England 2%) · Any other Mixed background 3% (Medway 3%, England 3%) · Asian Indian 2% (Medway 3%, England 4%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 2% (Medway 2%, England 2%) · Any other ethnic group 2% (Medway 1%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Black African 2% (Medway 1%, England 1%) · Any other Asian background 2% (Medway 1%, England 2%) · Black Caribbean 1% (Medway 1%, England 1%) · Asian Bangladeshi 1% (Medway 1%, England 2%) · Asian Pakistani 1% (Medway 1%, England 5%) · Any other Black background 1% (Medway 1%, England 1%)

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
4.9%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
9.3%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

3.20 suspensions per 100 pupils and 0 permanent exclusions · England, primary schools: 2.47 suspensions and 0.03 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Medway: 2.72 suspensions and 0.01 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
19.2
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

89% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 11% moved to another state school

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, primary academies: 0.3% vacant, 0.32% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

56.3% of teachers took sickness absence, 6 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £54,291; 25% on the leadership pay range · England, primary schools: £50,856, 17.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2024-25)

This school£6,218
Typical primary school£7,202

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for primary schools in brackets: Staff 77% (77%) · premises 7% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 7% (8%) · supplies and services 8% (9%) · educational supplies 2% (4%) · bought-in professional services 3% (2%) · catering 4% (5%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £37,000; in-year balance +£71,000

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
4/10more deprived than most of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
4/10more deprived than most of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher25.9%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications20.2%18.1%
In managerial or professional work31.1%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways19.9%18.1%
Residents in very good health44.7%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier65.4%62.3%
Social housing15.6%17.1%
Privately rented19%20.5%
Detached houses9.4%22.9%
Flats27.2%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms11.5%21.1%
Households with no car or van18.4%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01016127 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£304,000118 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£235,000–£377,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (18)£550,000
Semi-detached (32)£361,500
Terraced (45)£270,000
Flat (23)£180,000

Homes around this school are dearer than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
0an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
1an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
13an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
4an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools