Borden Church of England Primary School

About Borden Church of England Primary School

Borden Church of England Primary School has turned a corner. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2024, inspectors judged the school to be Good overall, a clear step up from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2022. But the headline figure that really catches the eye is the school’s performance in the Key Stage 2 reading, writing and maths combined expected standard. A full 89% of pupils met that benchmark in the 2023/24 academic year, compared with a local authority average of just 63%. That result places Borden second out of 48 primary schools in the Swale area, and in the top 5% nationally. It’s a strong academic story, and one that suggests the school has made significant progress in a short space of time.

Digging into the detail of those KS2 results, the picture is consistently strong. In reading, 90% of pupils reached the expected standard and 60% achieved a higher standard, with an average scaled score of 111. In maths, 85% hit the expected mark and 25% reached the higher standard, with an average score of 106. Writing and the combined reading, writing and maths measure both saw 89% of pupils at the expected level, and 11% reached the higher standard across all three subjects. The Ofsted inspection breakdown backs this up: behaviour and attitudes, personal development and early years provision were all rated Outstanding, while quality of education and leadership and management were rated Good. Parents seem to agree — 83% would recommend the school, and 77% strongly agreed that their child is happy there.

The school is a Church of England primary with 124 pupils on roll, just under its capacity of 140. It’s oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, there were 54 applications for 20 places, with 19 first-preference offers made. Facilities include a Forest School, gymnasium, art studios, music rooms and a chapel, and the school runs clubs in gardening, science, coding and film. Sports on offer include gymnastics, cricket, football, tennis and netball. The school has SEND provision for social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication, multi-sensory impairment and autistic spectrum disorder. With 25.8% of pupils eligible for free school meals, it serves a mixed catchment. This is a small, improving village primary that delivers well above-average results and has strong parent backing — ideal for families who want a church school with a clear academic focus.

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