Cedar Children's Academy

About Cedar Children's Academy

Cedar Children’s Academy in Medway was rated Good overall by Ofsted in its most recent graded inspection, a clear step up from its previous Requires improvement rating. The school’s leadership and management, along with early years provision, were also judged Good. On the key academic measure for primary schools, 61% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined at Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 results. That figure sits just below the Medway local authority average of 62%, placing the school 32nd out of 55 primary schools in the area. In reading, 78% of pupils reached the expected standard, and 73% did so in both writing and maths. At the higher standard, 6% of pupils achieved the top marks across all three subjects. Nationally, the school sits in the 53rd percentile among all state primaries, putting it squarely in the middle of the pack.

The school’s Ofsted report noted that standards were maintained in an ungraded inspection carried out in October 2024, and the early years provision continues to be rated Good. Looking at the breakdown of results, average scaled scores in reading and maths both came in at 104, which is in line with the national average. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is hard to say how much value the school adds from pupils’ starting points. Parent feedback from the Parent View survey, collected between September 2024 and September 2025, shows that 82% of respondents would recommend the school. However, there are some areas of concern: only 30% of parents agreed that SEND children receive the support they need, with 64% disagreeing. Similarly, 34% disagreed that concerns are dealt with properly, though 45% agreed or strongly agreed.

Cedar Children’s Academy is a larger-than-average primary, with 652 pupils on roll against a capacity of 630, and it has a nursery provision for three-year-olds. The school is oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, there were 138 applications for 73 places, and all 73 first-preference applicants were offered a spot. The pupil body includes 27.1% eligible for free school meals, which is above the national average. Facilities include a library, playing fields, a sports hall, a forest school area, and an ICT suite. Clubs on offer range from gardening and choir to drama and chess, while sports include gymnastics, netball, rounders, swimming and cricket. The school lists a wide range of SEND provisions, covering dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional needs, speech and language challenges, hearing and visual impairments, and autistic spectrum disorder. For families looking for a Good-rated primary with nursery provision and a broad set of extracurriculars, this could be a solid option, though the SEND support feedback is worth investigating further.

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